The release of the STAR WARS Battlefront Classic Collection has caused controversy for more than a lazy remaster. Modders have claimed that Aspyr Media used their work without giving credit or compensation. The Star Wars Battlefront modding community members expressed their frustration on Twitter, with accounts like @KyberServers leading the way.
The Classic Collection developers, Aspyr Media, are being accused of breaking a promise to honor the contributions of the modding community. Aspyr had previously denied rumors that uncredited mods would be included in the paid rerelease. I reported on it fully believing they wouldn’t do something so awful as to take someone else’s work and pawn it off as their own. However, modders now allege they found their own work in the final product.
A well-known figure in the gaming community, @iamashaymin, developed mods for the game and made the claims themselves. They claim their mod has been directly included in the Classic Collection, along with its original bugs and glitches. They have provided a screenshot and video as evidence, pointing out visual similarities between the mod and the official game. The datamined files reportedly support their assertion that the mod’s code has been used with minimal changes.
We’re not going to say it’s true because the accusation is a serious one. Yes, modders can only operate with permission from the game maker, but that doesn’t mean the game maker can take the modders’ work without permission or acknowledgment. If Aspyr did this, it suggests a clear disrespect for the intellectual property and efforts of the modding community. However, this is just speculation.
Considering how poor the remaster is, it is worth mentioning that – if these claims are true – it would be considered an asset flip because you’re taking many assets (from modders) and just putting them together. Aspyr Media has not responded to the accusations yet, but they don’t seem to be dying down. We hope there is a reasonable explanation for all of this, but the only way to get one is to take it to Aspyr.
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