GamesSteamAs Team Fortress 2 and Portal fan games are hit with copyright requests, acclaimed sandbox game dev behind Garry’s Mod says the decision is “hardly surprising"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSteamAs Team Fortress 2 and Portal fan games are hit with copyright requests, acclaimed sandbox game dev behind Garry’s Mod says the decision is “hardly surprising"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Garry’s Mod)
The creator of one of Steam’s most iconic games says the company’s decision to issue copyright strikes against two fan projects is “hardly surprising.”
Garry Newman, creator of physics sandbox Garry’s Mod, has taken to Twitter in the wake ofValve’s decision to issue DMCA takedown notices against two fanmade games. The first is Team Fortress: Source 2, a project that was allowed to useValve’s Source 2 engine, but not its intellectual property. The second wasPortal 64, which Valve asked its creator to take down over apparent concerns about the use of Nintendo technology that isn’t in the public domain.
I think while it’s maybe out of character for Valve to take down fan projects like this, it’s hardly surprising when you have their entire game uploaded. I somehow don’t think the “old Valve” would have let anyone port Half-Life to another engine and host it all publicly either.… https://t.co/GMPedl7KdIJanuary 11, 2024
I think while it’s maybe out of character for Valve to take down fan projects like this, it’s hardly surprising when you have their entire game uploaded. I somehow don’t think the “old Valve” would have let anyone port Half-Life to another engine and host it all publicly either.… https://t.co/GMPedl7KdIJanuary 11, 2024
It’s not often that Valve takes this kind of approach. Historically, the studio has been very welcoming of mods and fan-games; there area number of unofficial, fan-made Half-Life spin-offs listed- for real money - on Steam. As a result, some fans have suggested that its actions here are unwarranted, but Newman has hit back at that.
“I think while it’s maybe out of character for Valve to take down fan projects like this, it’s hardly surprising when you have their entire game uploaded.” Team Fortress: Source 2 was a near-complete remake of a game that Valve does still monetize,even if TF2 fans have suffered plenty over the past few years. With that in mind, Newman points out that “I don’t think the ‘old Valve’ would have let anyone port Half-Life to another engine and host it all publicly either.”
He goes on to explain that S&box, an engine built out of Source 2 and designed as a spiritual successor of Garry’s Mod, might have been used to create the Team Fortress port, but “S&box doesn’t have a license to use Valve’s content, only the engine.” The decision to only license the engine, rather than the content, was a financial one - Newman explains that “we didn’t want to commit a chunk of profit so early in development when we don’t even know what the final product will look like.”
Regardless of Valve’s actions, Team Fortress: Source 2 was about to become defunct anyway. Changes to S&box were about to make the game’s code “unusable,” and the DMCA is described as “the nail in the coffin.” It might have been considered ‘out of character’ for Valve, but it seems likely that in this instance, the strike has simply resulted in the project being taken down a few days early. That might not bring this in line with the mythical ‘old Valve’ that some fans wish would make a return, but it does mean that Valve likely isn’t entirely to blame for the death of these projects.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”