Take Two and Rockstar Use DMCA Claims To Remove More GTA Mods

Niko Bellic from GTA IV with a Take-Two logo on his face walking away from a big explosion.

Screenshot: Rockstar Video games / Consider-Two / Kotaku

As players continue on to criticize the a short while ago unveiled GTA Trilogy remastered collection, Rockstar Game titles guardian firm Take-Two Interactive has made a decision this is the perfect time to use DMCA takedown notices to take out some additional GTA mods and fan jobs.

On November 11, according to the people above at the GTA modding web page LibertyCity, Get-Two contacted them and applied DMCA strikes to eliminate a few unique GTA-linked mods. The three taken out mods are mentioned below:

  • GTA Progress Laptop Port Beta 2
  • The Shed and Damned Unlocked for GTA 4
  • GTA IV EFLC The Dropped And Damned (65%)

GTA Advance Personal computer Port is a lover-created challenge attempting to port the sport into the GTA 3 engine. Developed by Electronic Eclipse, GTA Advance was only unveiled on the GameBoy Advance in 2004.

The Dropped and Damned Unlocked for GTA IV is a mod produced in 2009 which allows players swap out the star of GTA IV, Niko Bellic, with the protagonist of the Shed and Damned DLC, biker Johnny Klebitz. It also included some new biker outfits and icons.

Finally, GTA IV EEFLC (65%) isn’t even a mod! It’s just a preserve file for the recreation that allows gamers commence from 65% completion. Of course, Acquire-Two employed a DMCA strike against a preserve file for a video game unveiled in excess of a decade back.

These are just the hottest in a rising range of GTA mods Consider-Two has absent immediately after and eradicated working with authorized DMCA notices. More than the final yr, the corporation has been on a takedown spree, like a GTA character on a rampage. It has also sued enthusiast devs above source code projects and led to some previous mods, like GTA Underground, shutting down more than fears of more legal and financial difficulty.

The previous time these varieties of mod takedowns happened, they generally targeted basic PS2-period GTA games, like Vice Metropolis. Not extended just after, and subsequent Kotaku’s very own report in August, Rockstar confirmed remastered variations of all three vintage PS2 GTA game titles were being to be unveiled this calendar year. All those online games have because launched before this week to mainly damaging reactions, with lovers sharing various bugs and graphical glitches on Twitter and Reddit.

Mainly because of what happened very last time, some are speculating that these takedowns are evidence that a GTA IV remaster could be coming someday in the upcoming. In accordance to resources who have spoken to Kotaku in the past about Rockstar’s long term remasters, GTA IV as effectively as Crimson Lifeless Redemption remasters are achievable. Even though strategies can and do modify and with the current backlash experiencing the GTA remasters, Rockstar may be a lot more hesitant to greenlight foreseeable future re-releases.

Regardless of if these takedowns are evidence of a foreseeable future GTA IV remaster or not, it however is a aggravating problem for modders and community devs who have invested a long time bettering, porting, and sustaining the classic GTA online games, permitting followers to play them a long time right after Rockstar had moved on. Kotaku spoke to some modders who appeared fed up with Rockstar and several far more have moved on to other game titles from other organizations, fearful about the probable lawful pitfalls for continuing to mod Grand Theft Auto titles.