Another fan project bites the dust as Take-Two takes down the Red Dead Redemption – Damned Enhancement Project. This mod would have enhanced the original RDR via emulator, either on Xenia (for Xbox 360) or RPCS3 (for PS3). The creator of the mod, Johnathan Wyckoff (aka DamnedDev), was asked to halt work on the project several times between September and November 2019. After ignoring Take-Two’s requests, the company filed suit on December 26.
This mod, in particular, caught the public’s attention because the original Red Dead Redemption never came out on PC. With it being a decade since the game launched, many have given up hope for an official release. Fans hoped this mod give them the chance to play the game on PC via emulator with the advantages that could come from current-gen hardware.
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However, like many fan projects, a lot of drama has cropped up around RDR-DEP. Upon the first contact from Take-Two, Wyckoff canceled the project but later restarted development shortly after. Comments made by Wyckoff on GTAForums, Twitter, and his Discord, indicate that he was not worried about Take-Two’s attempt to halt the project. He also alluded that Take-Two had given its blessing to the project at some point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySEXO4r9DNA
According to the case filed by Take-Two (via TorrentFreak), the company repeatedly attempted to contact Wyckoff to solve the issue without litigation to no avail.
The crux of Take-Two’s issues with the project seems to be two-fold:
- The distribution of the project could impact future profits if Take-Two decides to release RDR1 on PC, either as a standalone or an expansion to RDR2.
- To use the mod, players would have to rip the files from a disc, creating an unauthorized copy of the game.
Take-Two also accuses Wyckoff of violating the user agreements for several Rockstar games, both for this mod and another project he was working on to bring the RDR1 map to RDR2 on PC.
https://twitter.com/TroubleDamnedz/status/1210724115927072768
Wyckoff announced the cancellation of RDR-DEP for the second time on December 27, after the lawsuit was filed. According to Wyckoff, he’s in “talks” with Take-Two as of the same date.
