‘Dying Light’ Mod Support To Return, ESA Apologizes For DMCA Notices

Dying Light developer Techland released a patch last week aimed at fixing many performance issues for the multi-platform game’s PC launch. Unfortunately, an effort to curb cheating in the game also blocked out modders from making any changes to the game’s files. The developer confirmed today that the blocking of mods was not its intention, and also addressed DMCA takedown notices sent to some modders.

The blocking of Dying Light mods was a “side effect” of anti-cheating efforts in the game’s modifying. Techland recognizes the popularity of modding PC games and its importance for a title’s long-term success. The developer is currently working on a patch to allow those that want to tweak the zombie survival game.

“With the recent patch (1.2.1) on Steam we blocked cheating to make sure the game’s PvP system (Be The Zombie) would not be abused. This, however, had the side-effect of hindering mod-makers from making changes to the game,” the developer wrote in a note to the game’s community on Steam.

“Creating obstacles for modders has never been our intention. We are now working on a quick patch that will re-enable common tweaks while stopping cheating in the game’s multiplayer mode.”

“At Techland, we have always supported the mod community, and loved seeing how our own game can be changed by the players. A big part of the original Dead Island‘s success was the passion and creativity of mod-makers from our community. We want the same for Dying Light.”

Some modders on Reddit also reported that their mods were removed from certain file-sharing sites after DMCA notices were issued. Techland pleads ignorance to this as a representative told PC Gamer that “it’s not entirely clear why they were issued, or even who issued them.” This is something the developer is looking into separately.

“ESA was notified this morning that potentially erroneous DMCA notices had been transmitted by one of its vendors,” the organization told Ars Technica. “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.”

Dying Light has only been out for a week, but there are already two dozen mods available to download at modding site NexusMods. Many of these mods are to tweak the graphics like removing the filter that gives the game’s graphics a yellow-ish tint. However, there’s also other mods that upgrades player stats, inventory space, and keeps weapon durability from degrading.

What do you think of the controversy surrounding Dying Light and mods? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via Dying Light]