Team Fortress 2 is timeless as is, but can you imagine what the iconic game would look like remade in Source 2? Amper Software was working on a fan remake of TF2 in the Dota 2 and Half-Life Alyx engine, but the team of independent developers is now halting all work on TFS2 after a DMCA takedown notice from Valve. If you were looking forward to Team Fortress Source 2, this isn’t the news you’ve awaited on the project.
Team Fortress 2 is in many of our Steam libraries, and not only because it’s a free PC game. The classic Valve shooter is unique amid the genre’s overpopulated sea of repetitive FPS experiences. Since 2007, the game has been making waves as one of Steam’s most populated entries, albeit with no official sequel in sight. Fan developers have been working on unofficial remakes though, like Amper Software has been for the last three years.
The self-described team of “passionate developers who love to make games and mods” used the Source 2 engine, the very one from Valve behind hit games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Half-Life Alyx, for its remake of the beloved 9/10 sequel on Steam. Following the takedown notice from Valve though, all work on the exciting project is coming to an end.
“Today, we received a DMCA takedown from Valve on all our public GitHub repositories and all its forks made by the community,” Amper Software reveals in its announcement. The dev continues, saying that the notice isn’t the only reason behind the project’s cancellation as the team “already came to the conclusion to stop the development of the project” after discussing “major engine changes” and resulting “unusable” code.
Rather than being the sole driving factor then, the “DMCA takedown is the nail in the coffin.” According to Amper Software, Valve doesn’t want the team to use its IP, “which is totally fair and legal.” Despite the end of its three-year work on the unofficial remake, the dev declares that Amper Software is here to stay “as a group,” but doesn’t specify any future plans.
The news of the notice comes soon after TF2’s own recent big Valve update which saw the shooter topping Steam’s charts. Currently, Team Fortress 2 has over 75,000 players, beating out other multiplayer FPS games such as Destiny 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and newer entries like The Finals.
Fans following the fan remake have shared their thoughts online regarding its cancellation since the announcement. In a Reddit thread, some allege that the DMCA notice from Valve is “unusual,” while others express similar confusion, asking why the behemoth developer would “do this.”
If you’re out of things to look forward to without TFS2, you should check out our roundup of the most highly anticipated upcoming PC games. The list may not include a Team Fortress 2 remake, but there is a multitude of other great entries to choose from. Alternatively, you can browse our favorite indie games for another gem from independent developers to enjoy.
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