Stargate mod for HL2 cease and desisted.

by Steve Parsons { Apr 19th 2005 at 11:53AM }

The mod scene is being killed off. Certainly any mod that relates to an existing property anyway. stargateceiling Ridiculousness abounds in the racing scene right now with regards to mods for NR2003. Now FPS mods are being harassed into oblivion.

MGM Studios has laid the legal smack down on the team behind the Stargate mod, killing it. Needless to say, the folk involved are pretty angry, and with good cause. It never ceases to amaze me how fans of shows are treated by the people who, ultimately, have their wages paid by those they eventually cease and desist.

No mod maker can fight this sort of thing, despite the fact that there is some thorny legal ground if no profit is being made. The thing that amazes me is how George Lucas, one of the greediest bastards in Hollywood, has never done this to any project, even when a competing one was coming. (Star Wars Battlefront vs the UT2K4 Star Wars mod.) Lucas showing the sane, rational approach? Did Hell just freeze over?

Good luck to all modders. It's turning into a war zone out there! Keep your heads down, and remember that P2P is your friend.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jonathon Rubin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Seems pretty reasonable to me. There's been an official Stargate video game in the works for like a year now. I think it's a legitimate argument to say that unauthorized use of the franchise in a HL2 mod would dilute the appeal of the franchise's official game, thus hurting all of their investment in the property yadda-yadda.

If Stargate was off the air or abandoned or there was no hope of there ever being a game, I could understand the kvetching.

Tyler J. Smith @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Still though, I personally just don't think the actual companies like having competition from freelance modders. If anything, I think MORE quality mods only make the game better, since honestly there's something different about every game. Be it the graphics, the storyline, gameplay, whatever.

By denieing fans the ability to create games based on something they like is lunacy. If anything, they should be happy for the extra gameplay, and hope that it builds some interest in the show. I've personally been waiting for Stargate SG-1 to come out with a video game since the show preimered on Sci-Fi. Granted, Stargate SG: 1 - Alliance is in the works, and the screenshots look awsome, but not allowing gamers to create mods is like what Paramount tried to do with Star Trek simmers - create their own, licensed organization, and lay the smack down to all fan sites not officially credited with Paramount. It doesn't work - and it never will.

I personally thing developers are tired of being shown up by the mod community :)

Twist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Another Stargate mod for Unreal Tournament got shutdown back in the day when there wasn't even a Stargate game in the works. I am amazed that Lucas doesn't shutdown the Star Wars mods and I am surprised that Microsoft isn't hunting down the various people making Halo themed mods like HaloGen. When the mod might compete with an official product I can see them having grounds to issue the cease and desist, but in cases like the old UT Stargate mod or the old UT Starcraft mod (that would have been cool) where they don't compete with any project currently in development I think they should let them be. It is just free advertising and if they screw up it won't really effect peoples views of the franchise because it isn't an official part of the franchise. They need to chill out and let us have our fun since nobody is getting hurt.

Ryuukuro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

As much as I hate to see people getting C&D'ed, I wish modders would get off of their creative asses and make mods based on their own ideas. If the media companies don't appreciate free advertising then why give it to them? An original mod could snare you a job in the gaming industry or, depending on the game you mod, you could sell copies and make some money.

Jonathon Rubin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Twist, I'm not familiar with that old Stargate mod, but did it reference the show in any way, or were they careful to not actually say "Stargate Command?" I'm sure MGM or Universal or GE or whomever has the show trademarked to Abydos and back. If that's so, then they had to issue a cease and desist to the mod or they would have been vulnerable to accusations of their trademark being neglected and thus, at least in the gaming arena, abandoned to the public domain. I disagree with American copyright law strongly, and I also disagree with the way corporations have been granted the rights of citizens, but under the current system, these companies have to force down the mods. They're forced to be dedicated to shareholder profit, and the shareholder's interest would be to preserve their valuable franchise's recognized symbols and iconic imagery for their own sure-to-be-a-cash-cow-even-if-it-sucks game. Anything less is brand dilution, a dubious concept that nonetheless enthralls corporate America.

Nicholas @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Personally, I think consumers should run boycotts on these companies. You can't be mean to your fans. They should make the company pay ten fold. If I were the modder, I'd never watch the show again, and start a protest site.

Enough is enough.

SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

They sould start work on the "Fargate" mod immediately!

Forrest @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

-As much as I hate to see people getting C&D'ed, I wish modders would get off of their creative asses and make mods based on their own ideas.-

YES. A mod maker has absolutely zero pressure to make money off a product, and the freedom to make anything they want. It's a mystery to me why they would possibly want to work with someone else's IP.

HyperCube33 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

Well I personally assume it's because people see things they like and wish to be surrounded by them - the same reason kids put starwars posters on their doors. Or the same reason why other people wear band shirts - they like what they've found, and therefor wish to "spread it."

So tell me if you've ever been a fan of something thats on TV. Tell me then if you had the power to spread roots into new ground, by making it into a game where everyone who also likes the show could congrigate and enjoy it, and on top of that you'd get some sense of pride for making such a "great thing," would you not do it?

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Harry Smith @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

This is not the only stargate mod that has been shut down. MGM sent a cease and desist letter to the team that was making Fargate (a stargate mod for the game Farcry).
Come on MGM, don't you realise that good quality mods will only increase the popularity for your product (Stargate)!

Justin D. Harms @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM

The Stargate game that is in current development is actualy the 2nt stargate game that I know of.
Lucas Arts if I rember correctly had a Stargate game back on eather the nes, snes or sega.
Personaly agree with Steve Parsons. Hell is indeed freezeing over. I know of a highly detailed mod that is still in beta for Stargate that shows promis. I shall not give MGM the benifit of linking them to it so I will not mention what game or site here but its a private mod currently.