GTA 5 Liberty City Mod Shut Down

Grand Theft Auto 5 Liberty City Mod Shut Down Following Contact with Rockstar Games

A highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5 mod recreating Liberty City has been discontinued. The news comes after the mod, released in 2024, garnered significant attention.

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, dedicated modders persist. The team behind the "Liberty City Preservation Project," known as World Travel, announced the shutdown on their Discord server. They cited "unexpected attention" and subsequent communication with Rockstar Games as the reason for removing the mod. While the specifics remain undisclosed, the team confirmed their ongoing passion for GTA modding.

Another Modding Project Halted

Although World Travel avoided explicitly stating coercion, many players suspect the mod's closure was prompted by Rockstar Games. The phrasing suggests a seemingly amicable discussion, but it's likely the team received a warning about potential legal action, such as a DMCA takedown. Given the volunteer nature of most modding teams and their lack of legal representation, such warnings often lead to project termination.

The community's reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, with many criticizing Rockstar and Take-Two for their aggressive stance on modding. This is particularly frustrating given the absence of Liberty City in the announced GTA 6, which so far only features Vice City. While Take-Two might have been concerned about potential impact on GTA 4 sales, this argument is questionable. GTA 4 is an older title, and playing the Liberty City mod still requires owning GTA 5. Regardless of the reasoning, the mod is inaccessible. The hope remains that World Travel's future projects will fare better, although Take-Two's approach to modding doesn't appear likely to change.