They modded their way back in
The saga of Take-Two fighting against modders of their mega popular Grand Theft Auto series has just received another chapter and this one is a bit of a doozy. While no one has outright confirmed that mods will be returning to GTA V, Rockstar seems all for the development of them and the popular modding tool, OpenIV, has gotten a new update for bug fixes and some stability. That sure doesn’t sound like the death of fan created content.
Yesterday, Rockstar issued a statement to PC Gamer stating they were in talks with the developers behind OpenIV. Along with that, they also posted this long message on their forums under the topic of “Are Single-player mods Allowed?“:
Rockstar Games believes in reasonable fan creativity, and, in particular, wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. After discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties. This does not apply to (i) multiplayer or online services; (ii) tools, files, libraries, or functions that could be used to impact multiplayer or online services, or (iii) use or importation of other IP (including other Rockstar IP) in the project. This is not a license, and it does not constitute endorsement, approval, or authorization of any third-party project. Take-Two reserves the right to object to any third-party project, or to revise, revoke and/or withdraw this statement at any time in their own discretion. This statement does not constitute a waiver of any rights that Take-Two may have with respect to third-party projects.
This doesn’t confirm that mods are 100% cleared, but seeing as how Take-Two apparently won’t take legal action, it kind of gives the okay for modders to continue their work. That tricky wording of “respect the intellectual property rights of third parties” is where things get vague. A loving tribute to Iron Man respects that IP, but it also infringes on Marvel’s copyright.
So with all of this said, OpenIV released a new update this morning. While it doesn’t have a substantial changelog, the fact that we’re now seeing a new patch for a program that was supposedly shutdown earlier this week is a good sign. Hopefully that means mods are soon coming back, or at least that previous mods will continue to be a thing.
Whatever happens, signs are pointing towards a revival of mods for GTA V. I’m sure this will be great news for all of the fans on Steam who decided to review bomb the title. I’m not sure if that outcome factored into Take-Two’s decision to switch stances, but it seems likely.
Rockstar is talking with OpenIV developer, issues new statement on mods [PC Gamer]
GTA modding tool OpenIV receives an update, signaling development will continue [PC Gamer]
