Dustborn Devs Exposed for Stealing from GTA V—Woke Game Disaster!

Dustborn, the game that has launched to pitiful numbers, is back in the news—this time for being caught red-handed stealing not just assets, but entire layouts from Grand Theft Auto. We're talking interior designs of houses lifted directly from GTA Online!

If you think that's bad, wait until you hear the developer's response. Rather than owning up to their blatant theft, they tried to offload the blame onto the gaming community, claiming everyone else is the problem. This perfectly sums up what's wrong with the video game industry today.

Shoutout to HeySlickThat'sMe on X, who first pointed out that Dustborn had ripped off GTA Online by copying apartment layouts, paintings, TV rooms, and even small gardens. The similarities are so blatant that if I hadn't seen the screenshots myself, I wouldn't have believed it. It's unbelievable that a major AA title like Dustborn, which was funded by the European Union to the tune of nearly $200,000, would stoop so low as to steal assets and layouts from a game as iconic as Grand Theft Auto.

Take-Two Interactive isn't going to be happy when they find out about this. Slick continued by providing high-quality screenshots that show these copied sections in painful detail. This isn't just a small oversight—it's a massive issue, especially considering how the game was funded. The developers took nearly $200,000 in taxpayer money to produce a game that essentially stole assets from GTA Online, put a fresh coat of paint on them, and called it a day.

Nathan on Twitter summed it up perfectly: "If you listen carefully, you can hear the printers at Take-Two's offices whirling up those DMCA notices." You'd think the developers would own up to their mistakes after being called out so publicly, but no. Instead, they chose to attack the gamers who exposed them.

Thea Bergh, a designer at Red Thread Games, has been particularly vocal on social media, attempting to dismiss these serious accusations with sarcasm and deflection. Instead of taking responsibility, she's tried to make light of the situation, saying things like, "This is the funniest [__] I've ever seen. Dude, why do you care?" This is the go-to line for developers caught red-handed—deflect, dismiss, and attack the critics rather than address the real issue.

Thea went so far as to tweet, "I want to smoke their stash; it's going to be so dank," in response to concerns about a potential DMCA notice from Take-Two. It's clear she doesn't grasp the gravity of the situation. This isn't just about copying designs; it's about the ethics of game development, especially when taxpayer money is involved.

The community is rightfully up in arms about this, and Twitter is going wild. Critics argue that when a game's design borrows so heavily from existing works without adding anything new, it reflects a lack of creativity and a blatant disregard for the gaming community's expectations for innovation.

The controversy surrounding Dustborn goes beyond just the similarities with GTA Online. The game’s reception has been nothing short of embarrassing, with player counts failing to meet even the lowest expectations. Gamers are turned off by what they see as a lack of originality and a game that pushes questionable narratives, including woke propaganda. Despite years of development and significant funding, Dustborn can't even surpass 100 concurrent players on Steam.

Thea Bergh's responses have only made things worse. She's admitted to stealing assets from Grand Theft Auto but refuses to take any accountability, instead blaming everyone else for the backlash. One user on Twitter even pointed out that your EU tax money is funding Dustborn, a game that’s essentially a woke, politically driven cash grab.