The release of Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection has been a complete failure so far. Players are experiencing significant server problems, rendering online play nearly impossible. To add insult to injury, a modder has uncovered evidence that suggests developer Aspyr used their work without permission or compensation.
A modder, that goes by the name iamashaymin, discovered the recently released 'Classic Collection' included files from a Battlefront 2 mod that allowed two previously exclusive Xbox characters, Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress, to be played in other versions of the game.
The Nintendo Switch remaster specifically came under fire as it included specific files from the mod; Aspyr had used iamashaymin's groundwork and added more polished lightsaber animations for both Fisto and Ventress.
All of this, to reiterate, without giving proper credit to the original creator, contradicting a statement made by the studio saying that no uncredited content would be used in the Classic Collection, according to IGN.
In an interview with IGN, iamashaymin stated:
We actually managed to dump, archive, and datamine this version of the build and can confirm some files are the same as my original mod, specifically regarding the heroes’ projectiles
All versions of the Star Wars Battlefront Collection shipped with iamashaymin's mods before being replaced in a post-launch patch, including the Nintendo Switch's altered versions of the mods. However, the files were not removed from the game according to iamashaymin, they were simply left unused.
According to iamashaymin, it's not a matter of compensation but an ethics issue that impacts community trust Speaking to IGN, iamashaymin said:
I’ve never had issues with them using my mod, but now that they responded by saying what they did, shipping these files in multiple versions of the game and not crediting the source is an issue. Not because I demand credit but just on the credibility of Aspyr
Aspyr has not further addressed the uncredited usage of the modded content, however, they stated the team is working to fix the servers and online play after experiencing "critical errors" with their network infrastructure.