A Russian modding group, 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 the world, cutscenes, and missions of 2002's Vice City into the GTA 4 engine (2008).
The modders' 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. The teaser trailer alone garnered over 100,000 views and 1,500 comments in under 24 hours before the channel's removal. Despite this setback, the team pressed forward with the release, choosing to prioritize the promised launch date over a planned celebratory stream.
Initially intended to require a legitimate GTA 4 copy, the mod is now available as a standalone installer. This change, according to the modders, ensures broader accessibility and stable performance given the uncertain circumstances.
Revolution Team maintains the mod is entirely free and non-commercial, created by fans for fans. They express gratitude to the original game's developers, while criticizing Take-Two's actions as hindering modding initiatives that foster continued interest in classic games. They hope their project will serve as a precedent for the modding community.
Take-Two's history of aggressive takedowns of Rockstar-related mods is well-documented. Previous examples include an AI-powered GTA 5 story mode mod, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. Interestingly, Take-Two has sometimes hired modders subsequently, and some removed mods have foreshadowed official remasters.
Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij offered a corporate perspective, stating that Take-Two's actions are simply protecting its business 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. Vermeij suggests that the best-case scenario is that Take-Two will tolerate mods that don't directly compete with its commercial releases.
The future of the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod remains uncertain, with the question of whether Take-Two will pursue further takedown actions still unanswered.
