Aspyr, the company creating the new Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, has said it didn’t use anything from fan-made mods without credit. This is in contrast to some reports. Some fans noticed that the character models in the game’s trailer look like the ones from a mod for the first Battlefront 2.
To catch everyone up: The mod, created by iamashaymin, added characters Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress, which were previously exclusive DLC on the Xbox version but unavailable on PC. Modders claimed the trailer used models resembling iamashaymin’s modded versions, including inaccurate details like Asajj wielding two lightsabers instead of her unique weapon from the original DLC.
Aspyr has since released a statement denying the claims. They stated that the release of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection has no code or content taken from uncredited sources.
“We’d like to thank the passionate Star Wars: Battlefront community for bringing this to our attention. When capturing placeholder footage for our announcement last fall, we mistakenly included content that is not in the product, and that mistake made it into the final cut. The upcoming release of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection does not include any code or content that is taken from uncredited sources.”
Aspyr statement to IGN
While iamashaymin expressed excitement about the possibility of his work appearing in an official Star Wars product. He emphasized his preference for the original DLC to be officially released for PC with accurate content. He also made it clear that he freely released the source files for his mod and does not intend for the situation to be seen as an attack on Aspyr.
The incident has sparked a discussion about the use of fan-created content in the gaming industry. Some advocate for incorporating popular mods into official games, while others stress the need for proper credit and ownership rights.
The thing is, it’s a trailer. The trailer doesn’t have any credits other than the studio’s. Attacking Aspyr about using open and free mods would only hurt the mod creator because they won’t be able to get credit. According to Aspyr, the trailer included placeholder footage that doesn’t represent the final product. They stated that this footage was captured last fall during the game’s announcement and has now been replaced.
We can’t say who is to be believed, but we know that there should be more talk about free mods used in remasters. Modders only operate with developers’ permission, so if a mod is free, there should be no problem using them in official remasters as long as credit is given, right?
With the upcoming release of the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, we’ll likely see more uncertainty about including disputed models in the final game. Still, it’s a good conversation to have.
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