GTA 5 Liberty City Mod Shut Down

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 legal pressure.
• Despite this setback, the modding team, World Travel, remains dedicated to creating mods for GTA 5.

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

While some game developers embrace modding, others take a stricter approach. Nintendo and Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar Games' parent company) are known for their actions against mods. Despite this, dedicated modders persist. Even with the closure of this project, the team behind it, World Travel, plans to continue modding GTA 5.

World Travel announced the discontinuation of the Liberty City Preservation Project on their Discord server. They cited "unexpected attention" and discussions with Rockstar Games as the reason for removing the mod. While specifics remain undisclosed, their statement affirmed their ongoing passion for GTA modding.

Another GTA Mod Falls Victim to Legal Pressure

Although World Travel hasn't explicitly confirmed coercion, many suspect the shutdown resulted from pressure from Rockstar Games. The phrasing suggests a discussion, but it's likely the team received warnings about potential legal action, such as a DMCA takedown, if the mod remained publicly available. Given that most modders are volunteers without legal representation, such warnings often lead to project termination.

Fans are expressing their disappointment on social media, criticizing Rockstar and Take-Two's aggressive stance on modding. This frustration is amplified by the lack of confirmation of a Liberty City return in GTA 6, which has so far only showcased Vice City. Concerns about impacting GTA 4 sales are speculated, but many argue this is illogical, as playing the mod still requires owning GTA 5, and GTA 4 is an older title. Regardless of the reasoning, the mod is no longer accessible. The hope remains that World Travel's future projects will fare better, but Take-Two's approach to modding doesn't seem likely to change.