A Russian modding group has released its ‘GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition’ in the face of YouTube takedowns from Rockstar parent company Take-Two.
The eye-catching mod, from a group calling itself Revolution Team, ports the world, cutscenes, and missions from 2002’s Vice City into 2008’s GTA 4.
In a video description, the modders said Take-Two had “deleted” its YouTube channel “without any warning or attempt to contact us.”
“A huge amount of effort and time was invested into the channel, including hundreds of hours of streams dedicated to the mod’s development,” the statement continued.
“Additionally, we lost connection with our international audience, which was a significant part of our community. The teaser trailer for GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition gained over 100,000 views and 1,500 comments in less than a day. Unfortunately, the channel was removed without any possibility of recovery.
“This was a cruel move from them, but we have already accepted the situation, since we cannot influence it. We refrained from commenting, as we weren’t sure what further actions could follow. So, we decided not to take any risks which could disrupt the release.
“These past two days have been emotionally tough for our team since we envisioned the release very differently — with a cozy stream dedicated to the long-awaited launch of the mod. But none of that matters anymore.
“The most important thing now is that we released the project on the promised date. It’s unclear how long it will remain publicly available or whether there will be demands to take it down. We are not opposed to reuploads, but we cannot openly encourage you to do so. Do as you see fit.”
The modders said that originally it planned for GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition to require a legitimate copy of GTA 4 to play “to show respect to the publisher,” but it has now released it as a standalone, installation-ready package.
“In light of the current uncertainties, we had to make this change to ensure the mod’s stable performance for the widest possible audience,” they said.
Obviously, Take-Two will take a dim view of the modders’ actions here, given it’s already worked to have videos of the mod removed. But the group remains defiant, saying: “This modification is absolutely free without any commercial benefit. The project was created by fans for fans. The Revolution Team expresses gratitude to the developers (not the publisher) of the original game.
“It’s a great pity that Take-Two Interactive blocks modding initiatives that aim to maintain interest in their iconic games. Perhaps our project will serve as a precedent for the entire modding community.”
Take-Two has a reputation for Rockstar-related takedowns and has a strained relationship with the modding community as a result. The company is well-known for asking modders to take down various mods like this AI-powered GTA 5 story mode mod and this VR mod for Red Dead Redemption 2. The recent Liberty City Preservation Project takedown was also not without direct precedent, as Rockstar issued a takedown for a mod that tried to recreate Grand Theft Auto Vice City within GTA 5.
One interesting development is that while Take-Two is judicious when it comes to taking down mods, it also sometimes hires those very modders to work at Rockstar Games. And some mods, like the Vice City mod, were taken down only for Rockstar itself to announce remasters of those very games.
But one former Rockstar developer has defended the company’s actions here, saying both Take-Two and Rockstar are protecting their business interests.
“Take2/R* are a commercial company,” former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij tweeted. “They will take down mods that interfere with their business interests.
“The VC NextGen Edition mod for GTA4 directly competes with the Definitive Edition. The Liberty City preservation project (GTA4 in GTA5 engine) would interfere with a possible GTA4 remaster. (No idea whether they’re working on that. I think they should.)
“There’s no point getting angry about it. This is what companies are supposed to do. The best we can hope for is that they allow mods that don’t interfere with their business. Such as DCA3 (GTA3 for Dreamcast). Afaik they have recently been decent about letting these projects continue.”
The question now is, will Take-Two work to take down the mod itself?
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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