Old GTA mods are being removed by Take-Two

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has spent the last week using DMCA takedowns to remove old ones Grand Theft Auto mods. The publisher hasn’t explained why they started this sudden removal of old mods.

Late last week, gamers and mod makers began reporting on Twitter and the GTA forums this former Grand Theft Auto PC mods were removed. On July 17th, it became clear that something was going on. Many mods, including popular City of vice and San Andreas mods, were removed and were no longer available on ModDB.

Some of these modules are extremely old. GTA: Liberty City, a total conversion City of vice mod who wore GTA III in Vice City engine, was first released in 2005. It has now been removed from ModDB. GTA Underground, a popular mod that tried to merge multiple RGT cards in a massive deck, was also withdrawn on July 17. Its developers have confirmed via Discord message that the mod was removed as a result of a DMCA takedown notice from Take-Two Interactive.

A community manager and ModDB editor explained in a short tweet that the site contacted Take-Two and tried to start a dialogue with the goal of finding a different solution than just removing popular mods. Take-Two was not responsive and ModDB was forced to remove the content after receiving the DMCA notices. He also warned modders to “be careful” as more DMCA advisories could arrive for older ones. RGT mods.

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Kotaku has contacted Rockstar Games regarding recent DMCA withdrawals, but the developer and publisher have not responded.

GTA forum user Ash_375 posted together a complete and detailed forum post listing many mods that have been removed and some of the community feedback. Many modders and gamers are frustrated because they think Take-Two is going back on its word.

Read more: The most popular GTA mods over the past 20 years

Previously, the publisher in 2017 had come under fire after forcing the popular RGT modding tool software Open IV switch off. This led to a huge outburst of anger on the part of the RGT modding community. It was so big in fact that eventually Rockstar Games and Take-Two changed their plans and permit Open IV return. At the time, the company provided a new set of rules that modders could follow to avoid DMCA takings. The main text was recorded by PC player in a 2017 article and could be summarized as simply “Do not modify GTA Online, stick to single-player mods and don’t sell your mods. Simple enough.

But in June 2019 these guidelines have changed with the addition of this text to the rules:

This does not apply to … (iii) the use or import of other POIs (including other Rockstar POIs) into the project; or (iv) create new games, stories, missions or maps.

Now, in 2021, it looks like Take-Two is tackling mods that violate this part of the rules. Although to be clear, these rules have been changed without warning or warning, and many modders are now wondering what to do next. However, it’s also worth noting that the rules released in 2017 still stated that Take-Two could change the rules at any time or reject any mod for whatever reason at a later date. Yet this sudden increase in the number of DMCA withdrawals surprised many and angered even more.

Take-Two hasn’t been a fan of GTA modders for some time. Earlier this year, the publisher struggled to remove City of vice and GTA III reverse source code. Finally, the developers behind this code were able to to put their work back online. But this is another example of Take-Two’s continued struggle against modders. It’s an odd position to take in 2021, when video game mods have become a popular way to keep older games relevant and playable long past their original release date.

It’s not clear why Take-Two is going wild DMCA now, years after these mods were first released. Some members of the community have speculated that it could be linked to long rumors RGT remakes or remasters. Others speculated that this could be the result of non-officially-confirmed GTA 6. But this is all just speculation. Only Take-Two knows what’s going on and so far he has been silent.