GTA 5 Liberty City Mod Project Halted

Summary

• A Grand Theft Auto 5 mod recreating Liberty City has been shut down following communication with Rockstar Games.
• Many believe the modders were compelled to cease development due to pressure from Rockstar.
• Despite this setback, the modding team, World Travel, remains dedicated to creating mods for GTA.

A highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5 mod, the Liberty City Preservation Project, allowing players to revisit Liberty City, has been discontinued. This follows the considerable excitement surrounding the mod's release in 2024.

While some game developers, such as Bethesda, embrace community modding, others take a stricter approach. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, is known for its aggressive stance on modding, leading to numerous takedowns. Despite this, dedicated modders persist, and even with this recent closure, the World Travel team expresses its intention to continue modding.

World Travel announced the project's discontinuation on its Discord server, citing "unexpected attention" and subsequent discussions with Rockstar Games. While the specifics remain undisclosed, the team confirmed its ongoing passion for GTA modding.

Another GTA Mod Meets Its End

Although World Travel hasn't explicitly confirmed coercion, many suspect the mod's closure resulted from pressure from Rockstar Games. The phrasing suggests a seemingly amicable conversation, but it's likely the team was warned of potential legal repercussions, such as a DMCA takedown, for continuing public distribution. Given the volunteer nature of most modding projects and the lack of legal representation, such warnings often lead to immediate project termination.

Fans are expressing their disappointment on social media, criticizing Rockstar and Take-Two's aggressive anti-modding policies. This frustration is amplified by the absence of Liberty City in the announced GTA 6, which features Vice City instead. Speculation suggests concern over potential GTA 4 sales impact, though this is debatable, as playing the Liberty City mod still requires owning GTA 5, and GTA 4 is an older title. Regardless of the reasoning, the mod is no longer available. The hope remains that future projects by World Travel will fare better, though Take-Two's approach to modding appears unlikely to change.