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 GTA 4 engine (2008).
The modders' YouTube channel was deleted without warning, resulting in the loss of a substantial audience and hundreds of hours of streamed development footage. While initially intending to require a legitimate copy of GTA 4 to play, they've released it as a standalone installer to ensure wider accessibility given the circumstances.
Revolution Team insists the mod is entirely non-commercial, created by fans for fans, and expresses gratitude to the original game's developers (not the publisher). They suggest this project might set a precedent for the modding community, implicitly criticizing Take-Two's aggressive takedown policy.
Take-Two's history of removing mods is well-documented, creating tension with the modding community. Past instances include takedowns of an AI-powered GTA 5 story mode mod, a Red Dead Redemption 2 VR mod, and the Liberty City Preservation Project. Interestingly, Take-Two sometimes hires modders, and some removed mods have later been incorporated into official remasters.
Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij defended Take-Two's actions, emphasizing their responsibility to protect their business interests. He argued that the Vice City Nextgen Edition directly competes with the GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, and the Liberty City Preservation Project could potentially interfere with a future GTA 4 remaster. He suggests that the company is more likely to tolerate mods that don't pose a direct commercial threat.
The future of the "GTA Vice City Nextgen Edition" mod remains uncertain. Whether Take-Two will pursue further action to remove the mod itself remains to be seen.
