Controversial Removal of the Cyberpunk 2077 VR Mod
yesterday at 22:00
10
0Virtual reality video games have remained a niche product, even though many major franchises have released VR exclusives (Half-Life: Alyx, Batman: Arkham Shadow, Metro: Awakening, and others) or at least standalone VR modes (for example, for Resident Evil 7). Things have reached the point where Meta, which owns the Quest line of headsets, has shut down three studios specializing in such games. For the most part, the field was kept alive and popularized by enthusiasts. Until recently.
The past month was marked by a loud controversy surrounding VR mods. Luke Ross, known for adding virtual reality support to AAA titles, reported a claim from CD Projekt Red regarding his modification for Cyberpunk 2077. The Polish developer objected to the fact that the mod was distributed for money via a subscription and demanded that Ross either remove the project or make it free for everyone.
Developers are generally tolerant of mods for their games, but they want them to be free of charge. Ross refused, stating that implementing VR in Cyberpunk 2077 required a monumental amount of work, and that people who had already paid for it would not understand if others suddenly got the same thing for free. Citing its internal rules, the company issued a strike on Patreon, through which the modification was being sold.
In his defense, Ross claims that the DMCA notice was issued before he refused to remove the paywall, not after. Making the Cyberpunk 2077 mod free on its own is also not simple, because it relies on a tool called R.E.A.L. VR, which can be used in more than 30 video games, including Watch Dogs 1 and Watch Dogs 2. Previously, it also supported GTA 5, RDR 2, and Mafia: Trilogy, but in 2022 Take-Two ensured that these modifications were removed from public access. Now, following the incident with CD Projekt Red, the creators of Ghostrunner have also filed a complaint against Ross. All content related to R.E.A.L. VR was removed. As a result, the tool began to be pirated, which led to financial losses for Ross. According to estimates made back in the summer of 2022, his income amounted to about $20,000 per month.
An interesting detail in this story is that Ross contacted the company about granting his Cyberpunk 2077 mod official status as far back as four years ago, but was turned down. Years later, this ultimately led to a situation where a popular — albeit paid — tool for bringing virtual reality into major video games was completely wiped out.
The past month was marked by a loud controversy surrounding VR mods. Luke Ross, known for adding virtual reality support to AAA titles, reported a claim from CD Projekt Red regarding his modification for Cyberpunk 2077. The Polish developer objected to the fact that the mod was distributed for money via a subscription and demanded that Ross either remove the project or make it free for everyone.
I’d like to briefly address the discussion around the “Cyberpunk VR” mod created by Luke Ross. We have indeed issued a DMCA strike, as it was available as a paid mod (only accessible to Patreon subscribers). This directly violates our Fan Content Guidelines: we never allow…
— Jan Rosner (@jan_rosner) January 19, 2026
In his defense, Ross claims that the DMCA notice was issued before he refused to remove the paywall, not after. Making the Cyberpunk 2077 mod free on its own is also not simple, because it relies on a tool called R.E.A.L. VR, which can be used in more than 30 video games, including Watch Dogs 1 and Watch Dogs 2. Previously, it also supported GTA 5, RDR 2, and Mafia: Trilogy, but in 2022 Take-Two ensured that these modifications were removed from public access. Now, following the incident with CD Projekt Red, the creators of Ghostrunner have also filed a complaint against Ross. All content related to R.E.A.L. VR was removed. As a result, the tool began to be pirated, which led to financial losses for Ross. According to estimates made back in the summer of 2022, his income amounted to about $20,000 per month.
An interesting detail in this story is that Ross contacted the company about granting his Cyberpunk 2077 mod official status as far back as four years ago, but was turned down. Years later, this ultimately led to a situation where a popular — albeit paid — tool for bringing virtual reality into major video games was completely wiped out.
