A Russian modding group, Revolution Team, has released its ambitious "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod, defying takedown notices from Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company. This impressive mod seamlessly integrates the world, cutscenes, and missions of 2002's GTA Vice City into the 2008 GTA 4 engine.
The modders revealed that Take-Two deleted their YouTube channel without warning, resulting in the loss of hundreds of hours of streamed development footage and a significant portion of their international audience. Despite this setback, and the emotional toll it took on the team, they remained committed to releasing the mod on schedule. They acknowledge the uncertainty surrounding the mod's long-term availability but encourage community reuploads while remaining cautious about openly promoting such actions.
Initially intended to require a legitimate copy of GTA 4 as a gesture of respect, the mod is now released as a standalone installer to ensure wider accessibility. The team emphasizes that the mod is entirely free, created by fans for fans, and expresses gratitude to the original game's developers, not the publisher. They hope their project might serve as a precedent for future modding initiatives.
Take-Two's actions are consistent with its history of aggressively pursuing takedowns of Rockstar game mods, including an AI-powered GTA 5 story mode mod, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. This history has created a strained relationship with the modding community. Interestingly, Take-Two has occasionally hired modders and even followed takedowns of mods with announcements of official remasters of the same games.
A former Rockstar Games technical director, Obbe Vermeij, offered a corporate perspective, stating that Take-Two's actions are aimed at protecting its business interests. He suggests the Vice City Nextgen Edition mod competes directly with the Definitive Edition, while projects like the Liberty City Preservation Project could potentially interfere with a possible GTA 4 remaster. He argues that this is standard corporate practice and hopes for more tolerance of mods that don't directly impact their business, citing the GTA 3 Dreamcast port as a positive example.
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.
