Creator of DMCA'd Cyberpunk 2077 VR Mod Says People Are Now Pirating It to 'Punish' Him for Breaking CD Projekt's Terms of Service

The creator of the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod CD Projekt precocious deed with a DMCA onslaught has said radical are present pirating it to “punish” him for breaking the developer’s presumption of service.

Luke Ross, creator of the R.E.A.L. VR mods for games specified arsenic Elden Ring, Days Gone, and Far Cry, reportedly earns $20,000 a period done Patreon, which acts arsenic a paywall for his work.

Ross extended his VR conversion model to enactment Cyberpunk 2077 successful February 2022. A fewer months later, helium contacted CD Projekt to inquire if the Polish workplace was funny successful turning the mod into an authoritative port. It declined, Ross told IGN.

Then, connected January 9, 2026, Patreon alerted Ross to CD Projekt's DMCA announcement for the removal of the mod, which it had already taken down. "I had perfectly nary accidental successful the matter, due to the fact that arsenic is the norm successful these cases (at slightest for Patreon), the Patreon squad had already complied with the petition and taken down my mod of their ain initiative, making it inaccessible," Ross said.

Ross past got successful interaction with CD Projekt to, arsenic helium enactment it, "negotiate a mutually beneficial solution." CD Projekt past replied to accidental Ross needed to comply with its presumption of service. "No negotiation, nary comments connected my proposals, nary involvement for lawsuit successful knowing however galore of their users would beryllium affected by the abrupt removal."

The concern deed the headlines this week erstwhile Jan Rosner, VP, Business Development astatine CD Projekt Red, tweeted to accidental the institution issued the DMCA onslaught due to the fact that Cyberpunk VR was a paid mod, which violates its instrumentality contented guidelines.

“We ne'er let monetization of our IP without our nonstop support and/or an statement successful place,” Rosner said. “We were successful interaction with Luke past week and informed him that helium needs to marque it escaped for everyone (with optional donations) oregon region it.

“We are large fans of mods to our games — immoderate of the enactment retired determination has been thing abbreviated of amazing, including Luke’s mod for Cyberpunk 2077. We’d beryllium blessed to spot it instrumentality arsenic a escaped release. However, making a nett from our IP, successful immoderate form, ever requires support from CD Projekt Red.”

Ross responded to Rosner’s tweet to instrumentality contented with his enactment being characterized arsenic instrumentality content. Rather, Ross insisted, it is autarkic bundle and frankincense does not infringe connected CD Projekt’s IP rights.

“I'm atrocious but I don't judge you are wrong your rights successful demanding that my bundle needs to beryllium free,” Ross said. “It is not ‘derivative work’ oregon ‘fan content’: it supports a ample fig of games which were built upon antithetic engines, and it contains perfectly zero codification oregon assets from your IP. Saying that it infringes your IP rights is equivalent to maintaining for illustration that RivaTuner violates crippled publishers' copyrights due to the fact that it intercepts the images the crippled is drafting connected surface and it processes them successful bid to overlay its statistics.”

IGN followed up to inquire Ross if helium has plans to marque the Cyberpunk VR mod free, frankincense complying with CD Projekt’s presumption of service. Responding, Ross said that portion helium wouldn’t regularisation retired doing so, it would beryllium a batch of work.

“I bash not regularisation retired releasing the mod escaped for everyone,” helium said. “But it would instrumentality time, due to the fact that my bundle supports 40+ games and assorted wholly antithetic engines, which makes creating a mentation that specifically supports lone Cyberpunk 2077 a non-trivial task. Also, the radical who person voluntarily fixed their wealth to maine successful bid to enactment my improvement efforts for the model mightiness not beryllium blessed astir seeing the mod being fixed distant each of a abrupt to everyone conscionable due to the fact that I've been bullied into it.”

At this point, Ross said that making the mod escaped had go a moot constituent due to the fact that radical were present pirating it — and publishing abusive comments directed astatine him.

“Anyway, it's benignant of go a moot point, due to the fact that pursuing to the unexpected DMCA strike, aft the mod was forcibly removed from my Patreon, radical acrophobic of losing VR enactment for their favourite games person started pirating and illegally exchanging the mod each implicit the Internet, brazenly saying that since I was not complying with CDPR's ToS, my enactment is present just crippled and I should beryllium punished by having it stolen. So successful a consciousness CDPR already got what they wanted,” helium said.

The pursuing is simply a snippet of the effect to the DMCA onslaught and Ross' comments astir it.

“Ehhh, without the crippled the mod is useless. I’m gladsome immoderate radical person recovered ways to pirate his shitty mods, helium deserves it,” 1 idiosyncratic said connected societal media.

“I’m presently moving connected transferring this guy's mod files to my PC. I’ll look done and bash immoderate tweaking, and past I’ll merchandise his VR mod for Cyberpunk for free,” said another.

“What truly bugs maine is that alternatively of conscionable releasing it for escaped and continuing improvement with donations, which Take-Two already allows and which would astir decidedly inactive bring successful the aforesaid wealth from the VR community, helium chose to termination the mod wholly erstwhile helium couldn’t merchantability it anymore,” added another. “That’s the portion I don’t respect. He already made his money, helium had options, and helium inactive chose the atomic one. End effect is players suffer the lone existent Cyberpunk VR experience, VR modding takes different hit, and publishers get painted arsenic villains again adjacent though this result was benignant of obvious.”

The pursuing is simply a remark posted connected Ross’ Patreon page:

“Upon speechmaking much astir this case: they gave you a mode to support it alive, and you decided to beryllium a greedy small bish astir it truthful I'm cancelling my Patreon subscription to you and giving each your mods to anyone I cognize for escaped from present connected (also there's places online to find each your mods instantly aft merchandise for free, I was choosing to wage you, but present you're being a dickhead truthful I'll conscionable bargain your mods from present connected and archer everyone wherever to find them).

“You've made 20k a period for years, for modding these games — they're asking you to marque ONE OF THEM escaped — for a crippled which is mostly done updating and would beryllium mentation locked.

“Really gross by CD Project Red, and by you — shows wherever your priorities are you greedy small arrogant man.”

It seems improbable that CD Projekt volition backmost down here, which leaves Ross with a determination to make: ditch the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod for good, oregon merchandise it for free, arsenic CD Projekt requests.

Ross restated to IGN that helium is unfastened to uncovering “creative solutions,” and that his enactment to marque AAA games playable successful VR fills a void, but helium has yet to corroborate plans to merchandise the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod for free.

“I bash not modify the contented of the games, oregon effort to merchantability an acquisition which is successful contention with what the IP creators are producing,” helium continued. “To play successful VR you ever request to ain the archetypal game, and the lone happening that changes is that the acquisition is much immersive, visceral and memorable, which tin lone payment the IP owners. In the end, erstwhile gamers are playing for illustration Cyberpunk successful VR, they are not playing my mod. They are playing Cyberpunk, and loving it. How this could ever wounded the steadfast and trigger free-or-kill reactions inactive baffles me.”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].