In an interesting turn of events, the Entertainment Software Association as issued an apology for distributing takedown notices on mod files for Techland's latest foray into the zombie apocalypse genre, Dying Light. Yesterday, we reported that the ESA had taken action on download links for mod files – a decision which was viewed as highly suspect, considering that at the same time, Techland announced a new software patch which blocked the use of custom mods in the single-player campaign.
Techland revealed that the purpose of this patch was to ensure that players would be protected against would-be cheaters by preventing users from modifying the game files, a side effect of which also stopped people from creating custom modifications.
The changes brought about by this patch in addition to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notices was seen as controversial, with many believing that the two actions were connected and that Warner Bros were taking advantage of the DMCA to prevent distribution of these modifications.
However, Techland later announced that the patch was not intended to remove the ability to create custom mods and that a hotfix to rectify the issue was on the way. The developers reiterated this point on the Steam forums, stating:
"Creating obstacles for modders has never been our intention, and we are sorry for the inconvenience. We are now working on a quick patch that will re-enable common tweaks while stopping cheating in the game’s multiplayer mode."
Now it is the ESA's turn to apologise for their actions, revoking their takedown notices. While this may seem like a decent gesture, one could be forgiven for assuming that both the ESA and Techland were now essentially backpeddling from their decision in light of the overwhelming negative backlash. According to an interview conducted by Ars Technica, a representative from the ESA commented,
"Upon further review, it was determined that the notices should not have been sent and retractions were issued immediately. We regret any inconvenience and have taken steps to avoid similar situations in the future."
With this in mind, all that remains now is pure speculation. Do you feel that this was an attempt by Warner Bros to assert more control over their product? Or was it merely a simple error, a combination of misunderstanding and coincidence?
