Team Fortress 2 modders withdraw much-loved VR mod following Valve's crackdown on fan-made creations

As Valve gets tougher on fan-created content, the team behind a beloved Team Fortress 2 VR mod has pulled the project from the web while they assess the situation. 

Until recently, Valve has by and large been supportive of fans using its IPs for their own projects, but in a surprise move last week, it requested the shut down of two high-profile fan projects: Team Fortress: Source 2, which aimed to remake the beloved shooter in a more modern engine and Portal 64, a demake playable on the Nintendo 64. The casualties don't stop there, though, as another fan project, also related to Team Fortress 2, has now also disappeared. 

As spotted by PCGamesN, Valve's action against Team Fortress: Source 2 and Portal 64 has prompted the modders responsible for Team Fortress 2 VR - a popular mod for Contractors that replicates TF2 in virtual reality - to take their creation offline. 

"We announce with a heavy heart that Contractors Team Fortress VR is being suspended indefinitely following the controversy surrounding Valve's recent treatment of mod projects, and their policies listed in the DMCA given to said projects, the wording of which puts us in direct violation," explains developer The Advisor on the TFVR Discord channel.

They add that they believe Valve has already attempted to halt the project by "copyright claiming YouTube videos that contain TFVR content" and say that content creators sharing footage of the mod have gotten copyright strikes on their channels.

"Because of this, we are closing our doors and will seek communication with Valve in order to proceed with development, as we want to cooperate with Valve in order to guarantee we remain within legal boundaries while providing the best possible service," The Advisor explains. "TFVR will be put on hold until further notice, and TFVR content will be killswitched until we gain permission from Valve to operate."

The team promises to keep the community updated with any developments, including any further action by Valve. Hopefully, this doesn't mean the end for the ambitious mod, but for the moment, it's very much a case of wait-and-see.

Meanwhile, Valve's new Steam policy will allow the "vast majority" of AI games to release.