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 considerable excitement surrounding the mod's 2024 release.

While some game developers embrace modding, others take a more restrictive approach. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, has a history of taking action against mods, similar to Nintendo. Despite this, the modding community persists. The developers behind the "Liberty City Preservation Project," known as World Travel, announced the shutdown 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 their continued passion for GTA modding.

Another GTA Mod Falls Victim to Legal Pressure

Although World Travel hasn't explicitly confirmed being forced to shut down, many players suspect legal pressure. The phrasing of "speaking to Rockstar Games" suggests a seemingly amicable conversation, but it's widely believed the team received warnings about potential legal action, such as a DMCA takedown. Given that most modders are volunteers lacking legal representation, such contact often leads to project termination.

The mod's fanbase has expressed significant disappointment, criticizing Rockstar and Take-Two for their aggressive stance on modding. This reaction is amplified by the absence of Liberty City in the announced GTA 6 setting, which only features Vice City. Concerns about impacting GTA 4 sales have been suggested as a possible motive, although this is disputed by many, given GTA 4's age and the requirement of owning GTA 5 to play the mod. Regardless of the reasoning, the mod is unavailable. The hope remains that future projects from World Travel will fare better, though Take-Two's approach to modding doesn't appear likely to change.