GTA Vice City Nextgen: Modders Defy Takedown

A Russian modding team, Revolution Team, has released its "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod despite facing YouTube takedowns from Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company. This ambitious project transplants Vice City's world, cutscenes, and missions from 2002 into GTA 4's 2008 engine.

The modders claim Take-Two deleted their YouTube channel without warning, resulting in the loss of hundreds of hours of streaming content and a significant portion of their community. The teaser trailer alone garnered over 100,000 views and 1,500 comments in under 24 hours before the channel's removal. While acknowledging the emotional toll of the takedown, the team prioritized releasing the mod on schedule. They initially planned to require a legitimate GTA 4 copy for gameplay, but released it as a standalone installer due to the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Revolution Team emphasizes the mod's non-commercial nature, stating it was created by fans for fans and expresses gratitude to the original game's developers, not the publisher. They suggest Take-Two's actions set a concerning precedent for the modding community.

Take-Two's history of aggressive takedowns of Rockstar-related mods is well-documented, including instances involving AI-powered GTA 5 mods, a VR mod for Red Dead Redemption 2, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. However, the company has also been known to hire modders and, in some cases, release remasters of games following the takedown of related mods.

Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar Games technical director, defended Take-Two's actions, stating that the company is simply protecting its business interests. He points out that the Vice City Nextgen Edition mod might compete with the "Definitive Edition," and the Liberty City Preservation Project could interfere with a potential GTA 4 remaster. He suggests that the best outcome is for Take-Two to tolerate mods that don't directly impact their commercial interests.

The future of the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod remains uncertain, with the question of whether Take-Two will pursue further takedown actions still unanswered.