Defiant Modders Release 'GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition' Despite Take-Two Takedown

A Russian modding team, Revolution Team, has released its "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod despite Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, issuing YouTube takedowns. This ambitious project transplants Vice City's world, cutscenes, and missions from 2002 into GTA 4's 2008 engine.

The modders reported that Take-Two deleted their YouTube channel without warning, resulting in the loss of a substantial community and over 100,000 views on their teaser trailer. While emotionally impacted by this action, they prioritized releasing the mod on schedule. They initially planned to require a legitimate GTA 4 copy to play, but due to the channel takedown, released it as a standalone installer for broader accessibility.

Revolution Team emphasizes the mod's non-commercial nature, created by fans for fans, expressing gratitude to the original game's developers, not the publisher. They hope their project will encourage Take-Two to reconsider its stance on modding initiatives that foster continued interest in classic games.

Take-Two's history of aggressive takedowns of Rockstar-related mods is well-documented, including instances involving AI-powered GTA 5 mods, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. Interestingly, Take-Two has sometimes hired modders, and some takedowns have preceded Rockstar's announcements of remasters of the same games.

A former Rockstar technical director, Obbe Vermeij, defended Take-Two's actions, stating that the company is protecting its business interests. He cited the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod's potential competition with the "Definitive Edition" and the Liberty City Preservation Project's interference with a possible GTA 4 remaster. Vermeij suggests that the best outcome is for Take-Two to allow mods that don't directly compete with their commercial releases.

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.