GTA 5 Liberty City Mod Shut Down

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 considerable 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, announced the cessation of the "Liberty City Preservation Project" on their Discord server. They cited "unexpected attention" and subsequent discussions with Rockstar Games as the reason for removing the mod. While the specifics remain undisclosed, the team expressed continued dedication to GTA modding, describing it as their passion.

Another Casualty of Aggressive Mod Policies

Although World Travel hasn't explicitly confirmed coercion, many players suspect the mod's closure resulted from pressure from Rockstar Games. The phrasing suggests a seemingly amicable conversation, but the likely scenario 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 mod's shutdown has sparked outrage among fans, who criticized Rockstar and Take-Two's aggressive approach to modding. This frustration is amplified by the absence of Liberty City in the announced GTA 6 setting, which only features Vice City. While Take-Two might have feared the mod would negatively impact GTA 4 sales, this argument is widely contested, as playing the Liberty City mod still requires owning GTA 5. Regardless of the reasoning, the mod is inaccessible, leaving fans hoping World Travel's future projects fare better. However, Take-Two's stance on modding doesn't appear likely to change.