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 facing YouTube takedowns from Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company. This ambitious project transplants Vice City's world, cutscenes, and missions from 2002 into the GTA 4 engine (2008).

The modders publicly stated that Take-Two deleted their YouTube channel without warning or prior contact, resulting in the loss of a substantial community and over 100,000 views on their teaser trailer within 24 hours. While deeply disappointed by this action, they prioritized releasing the mod as promised. Initially intended to require a legitimate GTA 4 copy, the mod is now released as a standalone installer due to the uncertainty surrounding the takedowns.

Revolution Team emphasizes the mod's non-commercial nature, created by fans for fans, and expresses gratitude to the original game's developers, not the publisher. They hope their project might influence Take-Two's approach to modding initiatives.

Take-Two's history of aggressive takedowns of Rockstar-related mods is well-documented, impacting projects like an AI-powered GTA 5 story mode and a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod. This behavior, however, is sometimes counterbalanced by Take-Two hiring modders and even preceding remasters with takedowns of fan-made recreations.

A former Rockstar technical director, Obbe Vermeij, defended Take-Two's actions, arguing that the company is simply protecting its business interests. He points out that the "Vice City Nextgen Edition" directly competes with the "Definitive Edition" and that other projects like the Liberty City Preservation Project could potentially interfere with a future GTA 4 remaster. Vermeij suggests that the best hope for the modding community is that Take-Two allows mods which don't pose a direct commercial threat.

The future of the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod remains uncertain, with the question of whether Take-Two will pursue its removal still unanswered.