Cyberpunk 2077's VR mod has been taken down following a DMCA issued by developer CD Projekt Red. The modder behind the project, who has created a mod framework known as R.E.A.L. VR which allows dozens of AAA titles to be played using the format, announced the news via his Patreon page.
On Patreon, the modder known as Luke Ross (not his real name), explained that the decision to take the mod down was not his, and he critiqued CD Projekt Red's actions as being driven by "iron-clad corpo logic." In the post, he said (transcription via PC Gamer): "I'm even more sorry to announce that we are leaving behind an adventure that so many of you deeply loved and enjoyed. CD Projekt SA decided that they would follow in Take-Two Interactive Software's steps and issued a DMCA notice against me for the removal of the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod."
"In the end it amounted to the same iron-clad corpo logic: every little action that a company takes is in the name of money, but everything that modders do must be absolutely for free," Ross wrote. "As usual they stretch the concept of 'derivative work' until it's paper-thin, as though a system that allows visualizing 40+ games in fully immersive 3D VR was somehow built making use of their intellectual property. And as usual they give absolutely zero f***s about how playing their game in VR made people happy, and they cannot just be grateful about the extra copies of the title they sold because of that—without ever having to pour money into producing an official conversion (no, they're not planning to release their own VR port, in case you were wondering)."
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There is somewhat of an interesting debate around this takedown, as it's believed CD Projekt Red would have let the mod continue to exist if Ross didn't lock it behind his Patreon paywall. Ross makes quite a bit of cash from his Patreon, and in 2022 it was reported he was raking in around $20,000 a month. This led some to criticise his paywall-driven approach, while Ross maintains that the cost allows him to continue his work in bringing VR compatibility to games that otherwise wouldn't have them. At least he also confirmed Baldur's Gate III will soon work with R.E.A.L. VR, so there's a positive note.