GTA 5 Liberty City Mod: Unexpected Shutdown

Summary

• A GTA 5 mod featuring Liberty City was discontinued after discussions with Rockstar Games.
• Many players believe the modders were compelled to halt the project due to potential legal action.
• Despite this setback, the modding team remains committed to their passion for modding the game.

An exciting Grand Theft Auto 5 mod that brought players back to Liberty City has unfortunately been shut down. The news follows the buzz the mod generated upon its release in 2024.

While some game companies, such as Bethesda, embrace community modding, others, like Nintendo and Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar Games' parent company), often take a more restrictive stance. Despite the legal challenges posed by some publishers, the modding community persists, and even with this setback, the team behind the mod remains eager to continue their work on GTA.

The team at World Travel, responsible for the Liberty City Preservation Project mod, announced the discontinuation on their Discord channel. They cited "unexpected attention" and subsequent discussions with Rockstar Games as the reasons for pulling the mod. While specifics of these discussions were not disclosed, the team reiterated their passion for modding GTA.

Another GTA Mod Bites the Dust

Though World Travel did not explicitly state they were forced to shut down the mod, the community suspects otherwise. The phrase "speaking to Rockstar Games" suggests a more cordial exchange, but it's likely the team faced threats of legal action, such as a DMCA takedown. Mod projects, often run by volunteers without legal support, usually cease quickly upon receiving such warnings.

Fans of the Liberty City mod have expressed their frustration on social media, criticizing Rockstar and Take-Two for their aggressive stance against mods. The discontent is heightened by the fact that GTA 6 is set to revisit Vice City rather than Liberty City. Some speculate that Rockstar's concern might be related to potential impacts on GTA 4 sales, though this reasoning is debated since GTA 4 is aging and the mod required ownership of GTA 5. Despite the rationale behind the decision, the mod is no longer available. Fans hope that future projects from World Travel will fare better, but it seems unlikely that Take-Two will change its approach to mods anytime soon.