Eurogamer reports that Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games' parent company, Take Two, has sent a cease and desist letter to the creators of the OpenIV mod. OpenIV was a suite of mod tools for Grand Theft Auto V which included aspects such as a map editor. One of the more ambitious projects OpenIV was being used for was importing Grand Theft Auto IV's setting of Liberty City into GTAV.
The news points to a post on the GTAForums from OpenIV lead developer GooD-NTS, who provides a timeline of events that led to their decision to top development and distribution of OpenIV:
- At May 19th, 2017, I received an email from the legal counsel for Take Two Interactive in the USA. In this email they has requested to stop immediately any further work and/or distribution of OpenIV and "Liberty City in GTAV" projects.
- In belief, that we did not violate any laws, I asked them to provide more detailed information about their request. They agreed to provide details by email.
- On June 5th, 2017, after two weeks of silence, I got C&D letter from lawyers company (legal representative of Take Two in Russia), both in electronic and paper form, to my employer address. This C&D accuses me in Russian laws violations.
- After many heavy thoughts, we had decided to agree with their claims. We did not make it easily; it is very hard decision for us.
Rockstar claims in the cease and desist letter that OpenIV "allow(s) third parties to defeat security features of its software and modify that software in violation Take-Two's rights". One day after news of the cease and desist made it to the press, PC Gamer received additional comment from Rockstar, clarifying the developer's actions:
"Take-Two's actions were not specifically targeting single player mods. Unfortunately OpenIV enables recent malicious mods that allow harassment of players and interfere with the GTA Online experience for everybody. We are working to figure out how we can continue to support the creative community without negatively impacting our players."
The OpenIV developers have no intention on fighting Take Two, as they say they aren't able to dedicate months of time going to court for what is likely very little outcome. So for now, if you still have a version of OpenIV installed, it will work - but you won't be able to download it fresh, and it will no longer be receiving any updates.
Sad day for modding :(
i Officialy Boycott Taketwo for this,Would they do the same for GTA 1940s
Boycotts don't work. You want to know what does? Look at Dawn of War 3. The people got what they wanted because in their opposition they where loud and constant enough to gain the attention of the developers right in their forums. It has to be loud, constant protest that is visible to most customers, where it becomes overwhelming for the devs to deal with.
Actually after speaking to a few members, it is worth noting that GTA does not officially support mods, so despite users frustration at OpenIV being shut down - it was never actually meant to exist in the first place.
It's clearly a complicated position for Take2/Rockstar and I think despite the anger it is worth considering this "other side" of the argument. Because if we do want all games to support and embrace mods, I feel there has to be a little give/take and understanding when circumstances like this arise.
Unfortunately I am going to have to agree to disagree with you on this one sir; they should have sent a C&D to modding when it first came out for GTA III instead of now.
it would have been frustrating at the time but by ignoring it and allowing a community to grow for 10 years; guess what? they allowed the majority of their paying community that keeps them in business to as their silence was an endorsement that this was okay.
By ignoring it for this long and choosing now after 10 years with games like San Andreas, IV, and V to have award winning mods for them increase the sales and life span of these games; they have practically shot them selves in the foot and alienated the majority of their customers AND creators like GooD-NTS to have 10 years of their creativity and time flushed down the toilet because some suit decides they are not making enough money; I still call Bull-$#%@ on this.
While I agree with you that hearing "the other side" can be helpful; in this case it adds nothing to the already the situation; Take Two and Rockstar allowed modding for 10 years, thus silently endorsing the growth of the modding community and sales of many of their games to this demographic. said demographic is what resulted in the PC market for these games to grow; as well as hugely popular mods (which are not only on this website but some have also won awards and featured in articles elsewhere) which increased sales and growth of the former demographic. now out of the blue Take Two decides to take an issue with it and thus alienated a HUGE demographic that is why they are in the PC market in the first place; THIS is why people are mad, and THIS is why hearing the "other side" in this particular context is not going to help!
I have already mentioned in a previous post why I take such a strong issue with this and the rest of the "AAA" industry so I will not go into detail here. However as far as I am concerned in this situation, Take Two and Rockstar have made their own bed; let them lie in it.
they choose to alienate the demographic they fostered for 10 years; let them deal with the fallout they created; I am taking my business elsewhere and they have no-one to blame but themselves for it.
Edit 1: first salvo of typo correction
Valid point, but reading between the lines it seems it's only the hacks and bad actors they are keen to displace and get rid of. Problem is legit mods get caught in the crossfire. I guess they have to accept the good with the bad, because as you rightly state modding has been a huge success for them - and they should be happy with that and willing to take the occasional messup.
i've had enough of corporate garbage ruining my life, i will not let this slide
(buried)
Oh what a hero. I guess we'll hear of you in the news in the near future?
(buried)
This made my day. Thank you, sir
Yes. The best thing to do is to rage and constantly bash Rockstar in the heart of their forums & everywhere else until they surrender to the will of the community.
I'm serious, it worked for Dawn of War 3.
The video game crash can't come soon enough.
I too am getting tired of devs seeing me as a fat wallet ripe for squeezing and nothing more.
Publishers, my friend.
Everybody download before it's taken down.
Don't worry there will be places where you will be able to download it.
Typical
PM me redistributable. Will put in my google drive to share freely.
Unbelievable; so out of the blue after modding in the GTA community has had a major presence since GTA III and OpenIV released 2.9 a few months ago....NOW IT"S AN ISSUE!?
I am really starting to believe this anti-modding streak we are starting to see recently is out fear of triple A companyes that random people on the internet can deliver a better product in both stability, content, and talent then the buggy messes that are being presnted with 10/10 and game of the year material that is being pushed like a polished turd; shoot i still remember MERP's legal battle with WB which I bet was because Shadow of Mordor was in early concept stages.
Honestly as controversial as this sounds on a modding site, I think the minute a company starts shutting down mods the community making them should up and leave. Yes I am well aware that many individuals work for years with no pay and even unofficial tools to make content for franchises they love and want to contribute to. However it is getting to the point where I think the sooner the modding community starts making their own IP's and tells company's like Take Two, DICE, EA, and others to #@$% off the better.
I know that may not be an option for everyone and I can understand that since their are company's that are still willing to allow individuals to make content and provide mod tools, but if the "professionals" in the industry are charging ridicules amount for buggy messes, lazy writing, and pandering to people who have never played games in their lives; then let them lie in their own death bed.
I have been around in the modding community since I bought Morrowind in 2009; I know the talent that exists in the modding communities here at MDDB, Nexus, and many other sties is able to be on par or even out class many of the "professionals" that use E3 and other venues as a glorified echo chamber; how much longer until these C&D continues to the point where no companies are willing to cater to modder's out of fear? Why are we as a creative community that have made fan content featured in magazines, blog, or even company blogs not willing to take the next step and use the many engines that are available to make content without the fear of C&D? Why are we still willing to kiss the boot of companies that see modders as just free labor to patch of the bugs, features, and problems that they are to lazy to fix?
I am tired of hearing news of fan content being shut down after years of hard work because of "polices" or "copyright" when it is practically free advertising or a boost in sales as many people have bought games or got into a franchise because of the fan creation. If that is the game they want to play then I say that the sooner modders start taking a stand and making their own IP's that can provide healthy competition to these companies the better; the gaming community that many of us have grown up with need it.
the companies give out business cards to the new talent in the industry need it, the developers who use their minds to create the worlds and stories that can impact millions need it,and the people who grew up or will grow up with these games that they will cherish in the hearts need it.
100% nailed it
He sure did.
Very well done.
Thank you very much for the feedback BlickMang and Dosman94; I did not realize my thoughts and concerns happened to be that accurate to what so many others thought on this incident. 0_0
and so they can target gta 1940s?
i think people should stop buying such games then and start making something instead
I already have decided that I WILL NOT BUY GTAV or any other TAKE TWO GAME.
two pronged attack. Bethesda forces paid mods, Take2 makes free mods illegal. The precedent is being set. Either fight back or loose the ability to mod forever. They want to turn us into DLC factories, they want to treat us the same way US retail chains treat sweatshops in China.
Working conditions in the industry are already at all time lows, this will only undervalue the work of developers even further. Why hire developers when you can trick a modder into developing your game for you, and they'll stupidly take a 25% cut giving you the publisher the other 75%. This is the future if you let this trend continue.
Studios won't QA ****, they'll let the consumer do it. They'll make the consumer develop the game for them and patch it for them. Hell with the trend of AAAs asking for Kickstarter and Early Access handouts, they don't even want to front the capital for games anymore. Even further, go look at the latest Deus Ex game's pre-order scheme, they want the consumer to even Market their games for them as well.
This is unacceptable. If these trends continue there will be nothing left worth saving. We have to draw the line. Publishers are worthless, they are obsolete in the process now and the sooner we're rid of them the better.
What a shame, if this succeeds then Take-Two and Bethesda won't be the only ones who start pulling this nonsense in the future.
Let's all sign this petition to get T2's attention.
Change.org
Corporations only listen when you stop giving them your money bro.
What a delusional waste of everyone's time.
If Change.org had any relevance, the world hunger issue would've been solved by now.
True, But the petition is almost complete! So I say go and do it.
If not just for proof in the future that we are mad about it.
I'm not saying it will change anything. But is sure is better than saying nothing I suppose.
SIIIGHH.
Well ... it seems like many more people will start to pirate their games , or simply wont buy them at all . Because the only way for them to fuc*ing listen to people is to cut their money . From my POV - this nonsense aint gonna pass so easily for Bethesda or Take2 - they arent going to get a single pound , euro or dollar from me , ever .
Or peso.
First Bethesda, now this. What the hell is going on with games lately? Good time to get out of it, I guess. Before the real shitstorm starts.
And I thought Bethesda bringing back Paid Mods for Fallout 4 and Skyrim was dumb
But this beyond dumb, it's braindead idiotic.
Take Two pls **** off
The only reason people even bothered with the PC version were mods...
I expect to see a big shift in their market value if this keeps on.
As for all the OIV developers out there:
It is a big company with multi-billion cash stocks and lawyers...
We can't save you, OpenIV, but we will make sure they never forget!
It looks like these publishers drank too much Kool aid and forgot how mods generate more sales. Removing or outright banning modding support significantly decreases the lifespan of a game.
Even worse, if they remove modding support for games that are broken, filled with bugs and glitches or are otherwise unplayable due to performance issues or crashes, then these games will fall to obscurity faster than you can complete them (by reaching the end of the game and suddenly nobody cares about it).
God forbid they'll start attacking this site, otherwise we're screwed.
How frikin out of touch you need to be with your own product and not see that 80% of this games appeal is modding?
Don't you guys just love to get violently shafted by some old, rotten out of touch suit who can't afford to buy a ******* island and 4 new yachts? Yeah, me neither. I am so sorry you have made billions instead of trillions with Shark Cards/Game Sales. Jesus Christ, the greed of some people is astonishing.
If you notice, it begins with the US company asking for them to stop. When they can't legally bind them in US, they send out for a lawyer firm in Russia to help them find a legal bind to send a CnD?
What.
Screw T2. Greedy and corrupt a-holes!
Is there a download link for this?
Before it gone
Appalled, but not surprised. Even if I'm not a very avid player of GTA myself, I appreciate the work done by the team behind OpenIV. It's sad to see how common things like this have become as of late.
Take down Take Two
Unfortunately, the shares of stocks of T2I this current trading session (as of this writing) does not reflect what we had hoped for... :\
It won't be a surprise if T2 decided to "apologize" and go down the path of Bethesda, or stealing these mods assets and put them on the stores as "new single player DLC" or just won't listen. It would be a surprise if T2 actually apologize and let single player modding a thing again
Well, while taking this fact into consideration, we have Saints Row, pretty nice game, even better than GTA V (IMO). But almost nobody mods it, why?
And since when the whole internet became a tool platform of copyrighters, not their rivals?
Money has become a drug for these publishers, damn its just a piece of paper a tool for us to live, the thing can be set on fire, dissolved on water, even decompose on the ground. Hell you can even clean your arse with it after going to the bathroom.
I came to the comments to write the huge comments I usually do in these situations, but most of what I would say was already said.
If we play our cards right, this could end up being a good thing. Both this and the second round of Bethesda's Paid Mods BS are happening at the same time, the collective backlash being caused by it could leave a permanent mark in gaming, a mark that would be in our favour. Publishers would be afraid of doing anything against modding. Some would seek to support it even further, not because modding is great, but because of the good publicity it would give them.
We could gain a lot from all that is happening right now, we just gotta make sure it hurts Bethesda and Take Two. Let's make them examples. Let's make them regret it.
Ice Cold move, but you are right. This is really a unique chance for modders.