A Russian modding team, Revolution Team, has released its "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod despite Take-Two Interactive's efforts to remove its promotional videos from YouTube. The mod reimagines 2002's Vice City within the 2008 GTA 4 engine, incorporating its world, cutscenes, and missions.
The team's YouTube channel was unexpectedly deleted by Take-Two, resulting in the loss of hundreds of hours of streamed development footage and a significant portion of their community. Despite this setback, the mod was released as planned, initially intended to require a legitimate GTA 4 copy but now offered as a standalone installer to ensure broader accessibility.
Revolution Team maintains the mod is non-commercial, created by fans for fans, and expresses gratitude to the original game's developers. They suggest their project might set a precedent for the modding community, challenging Take-Two's actions.
Take-Two's history of removing mods that potentially impact its business interests is well-documented. Previous examples include takedowns of an AI-powered GTA 5 story mode, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. Interestingly, Take-Two has occasionally hired modders, and some removed mods have later been followed by official remasters.
A former Rockstar Games technical director, Obbe Vermeij, defended Take-Two's actions, stating that the company is protecting its commercial interests. He cited the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" as potentially competing with the "Definitive Edition" and the "Liberty City Preservation Project" as potentially interfering with a possible GTA 4 remaster. He suggested that the best outcome is for Take-Two to tolerate mods that don't directly compete with its 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.
