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's efforts to remove related YouTube content. This ambitious project transplants the world, cutscenes, and missions of 2002's GTA Vice City into the 2008 GTA 4 engine.

The modders' YouTube channel was deleted without warning, resulting in the loss of hundreds of hours of streamed development footage and a significant portion of their community. Their teaser trailer alone garnered over 100,000 views and 1,500 comments in under 24 hours before the takedown. While disheartened by this action, the team proceeded with the mod's release as planned.

Initially, the mod required a legitimate copy of GTA 4, a gesture of respect for the publisher. However, due to the YouTube takedown, it's now available as a standalone installer to ensure wider accessibility.

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 will encourage Take-Two to reconsider its approach to modding initiatives.

Take-Two's history of removing mods related to Rockstar games is well-documented, including instances involving AI-powered GTA 5 mods, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. This aggressive stance has created tension with the modding community.

Interestingly, Take-Two has sometimes hired modders to work at Rockstar Games, and some removed mods have later been incorporated into official remasters. However, a former Rockstar technical director, Obbe Vermeij, defends Take-Two's actions as protecting its business interests. He points out that the Vice City Nextgen Edition could compete with the GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, and a GTA 4 remaster (if in development) could be impacted by the Liberty City Preservation Project. Vermeij suggests focusing on mods that don't directly compete with Take-Two's products.

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.