Liberty City GTA 5 Mod Shut Down Following Contact with Rockstar Games
A highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5 mod recreating Liberty City has been discontinued. The news follows the mod's popularity in 2024. While some game developers embrace modding, others, like Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive, are known for taking a more aggressive stance.
The modding team, World Travel, behind the "Liberty City Preservation Project," announced the shutdown on their Discord server. They cited "unexpected attention" and discussions with Rockstar Games as the reason for removing the mod. While the specifics remain undisclosed, the team emphasized their continued passion for GTA modding.
Another Casualty of Aggressive Mod Policies
Although World Travel hasn't explicitly confirmed coercion, many players suspect the mod's closure stemmed from legal pressure. Contact from Rockstar Games likely involved a warning about potential legal action, such as a DMCA takedown. Independent modders, often lacking legal representation, typically comply with such warnings to avoid costly litigation.
The shutdown has drawn criticism from fans on social media, who accuse Rockstar and Take-Two of overly aggressive anti-modding policies. This is particularly frustrating given the absence of Liberty City in the upcoming GTA 6, which currently focuses on Vice City. While Take-Two might be concerned about impacting GTA 4 sales, this argument is debatable, as playing the mod still requires owning GTA 5.
The Liberty City Preservation Project is no longer available. While World Travel intends to continue modding, the incident highlights the ongoing tension between modding communities and publishers with stringent intellectual property policies. The likelihood of Take-Two altering its approach to modding remains uncertain.
