Modern AI tools can now compile and reconstruct a game’s source code in record time—work that once took programmers months to complete. This capability underlies recent “native” Fallout and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ports as well as the AI-generated Super Mario 64 inside Elden Ring mash-up mods.
The latest wave of these browser-based ports is proving especially troubling. According to a report for Kotaku, AI-decompiled web versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Halo: CE, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Skate 3, and The Simpsons: Hit and Run appear to run very well.
While publishers such as Take-Two and Microsoft could issue cease-and-desist letters to have these versions removed, the author questions what would stop people from simply “vibe-coding” another version. The situation is described as IP protection “whack-a-mole on a scale I don’t think we’ve seen since the advent of pirated DVDs.”
The writer played through several of the linked browser ports and found some to be “borderline flawless.” In The Simpsons: Hit and Run, it may even exceed that, as the game appears capable of targeting 240fps. One of four different browser versions of Halo: CE played also featured working online servers with a low ping.
Most games being ported to browsers are PS2- or PS3-era titles. The author notes that the PS3 had about 512 megabytes of RAM, while their web browser is currently using roughly 1,200 megabytes. Browser ports no longer appear limited by RAM usage—the key difference now is that Claude Opus 5.5 can be left running overnight to decompile a game rather than requiring manual code review.
The author expresses uncertainty about the future but notes with certainty that video game publishers’ legal teams will likely work “overtime for the foreseeable future.”
This is IP protection whack-a-mole on a scale I don’t think we’ve seen since the advent of pirated DVDs. I genuinely don’t know how you put the genie back in the bottle on something like this.
Kotaku
The writer also highlights that some browser ports run perfectly, which complicates publishers’ efforts to protect their intellectual property given how quickly and easily these versions can be created.
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