As players continue to criticize the newly released GTA Trilogy remastered collection, the parent company Take-Two Interactive decided that this is the perfect time to use DMCA takedown notices to remove some more GTA mods and fan projects. According to the folks at LibertyCity on the GTA website on November 11, Take-Two called them and used DMCA strikes to remove three different GTA-related modifications. The three removed mods are listed in the corresponding file.
GTA Advance PC version 2 – Beta. The lost and left unlocked / GTA 4 are lost / unlocked. GTA IV EFLC Lost And Damned (65 %)
GTA Advance PC Port is a pilot project that wants to get the game tested on GTA 3 engines. The GTA Advance was released only in 2004 with Digital Eclipse. The Lost and Damned Unlocked for GTA IV is a mod released in 2009 by which players can switch the star of GTA IV, Niko Bellic, and the protagonist of the Lost and Damned DLC, Johnny Klebitz. There were also some new bicycler outfits and icons. Finally, I don’t think GTA IV EEFLC (65%) is a mod. It’s just an archive that lets players start at 65% completion. Yes, Take-Two used the DMCA countermeasure against the save file in a game released over a decade ago. They’re just the latest in a growing number of GTA mods Take-Two has gone after and removed using legal DMCA notices. In the last year, the company has had a takedown spree like a “GTA” character in a rage. It started as a slugger. In addition to the claims it caused some old mods, like GTA Underground, to close down, and it was unable to get into trouble. The last time these types of mod takedowns happened, they mostly targeted classic PS2-era GTA games like Vice City. In the last year, and in the August report released by Kotakus, rockstar confirmed that all three classic PS2 GTA games should be released. Those games have since released earlier this week to most negative reactions, with fans sharing numerous bugs and graphical glitches on Twitter and Reddit. The reason is that the last time we arrived, some are speculating these takedowns are evidence that a remaster of GTA IV might arrive sometime in the future. According to sources who have spoken to Kotaku in the past about future remasters of Rockstars, GTA IV as well as Red Dead Redemption may also be successful. If plans are still up and running and the recent backlash against GTA remasters, Rockstar might be more reluctant to greenlight future re-releases. Regardless of whether these takedowns will show a future GTA IV remaster or not, that may be frustrating for modders and community devs who have spent decades improving, porting and maintaining classic GTA games. The fans, too, can play them years after Rockstar moved on. Kotaku spoke to some modders who seem fed up with Rockstar and many more have gone on to games like these from other companies, worried about the potential legal pitfalls of continuing to mod Grand Theft Auto titles.
