Legal complications force modders to abandon the popular Vice City remake. The team expresses regret but understands the need to protect copyrighted assets.

This should come as a surprise to precisely nobody - It's official: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City The Nextgen Edition is no more. The mod, which aimed to breathe new life into the beloved 2002 classic, had garnered significant attention ahead of its proposed launch. However, the development team behind the project, known as Revolution Team, has announced that they are ceasing all work on the mod due to legal pressure from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

In a statement, which has now been scrubbed off the internet, Revolution Team detailed the series of events that led to their decision. The team faced a cascade of setbacks, beginning with the deletion of their main YouTube channel, followed by the blocking of their Telegram account.

The final blow came when they received an official complaint on VK, which is basically Russia's Facebook equivalent, from the ESA. The ESA, which represents the interests of major video game publishers and developers, including Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Rockstar Games), cited copyright concerns as the reason for their action.

Revolution Team consulted with legal experts and came to the sobering realization that despite a company's lack of official representation in a country, they still retain copyright claims and legal tools to enforce them. This revelation forced the team to take immediate action to comply with the ESA's demands, including removing certain posts and closing comments to prevent the sharing of links related to the project.

The mod team expressed their disappointment in how the situation unfolded, stating, "We're sorry that things are ending this way, but unfortunately, we can no longer share any information about the mod to avoid further issues." They officially announced the cessation of support for the project, marking the end of their journey in the modding community.

However, the team hinted at the possibility that a group of enthusiasts "completely unrelated" to them would release updates in the future. This cryptic message has led to speculation that development may continue under a different guise to avoid further legal complications.

While unfortunate, the shutdown of this mod is completely understandable, and hardly surprising following recent similar cases. It uses assets and music from the original game and from various other copyrighted titles, crossing a legal line that Rockstar and Take-Two have a right to defend.

Even though thousands of other mods exist without issue, companies have no choice but to protect copyright assets and licensed music. The inclusion of original radio stations and music tracks in the Vice City mod likely contributed to the legal pressure, as music licensing is a complex and costly aspect of game development.

For now, fans of the Vice City mod are left to speculate about its future and whether the promised updates will materialize from the mysterious "group of enthusiasts."

For those who would like to play Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on modern platforms, you can check out Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, Rockstar's official re-release of the HD Universe era Grand Theft Auto titles. The game is currently on sale, along with Grand Theft Auto V, and other Rockstar titles, through February 6, just as Take-Two is set to hold its next earnings call.