GTA IV was the 6th installment of the series. It provided the loyal fanbase with an experience that was previously never offered; A deep, indulging story with added focus on the physics of the game, coupled with the improvement in the visual as well as gameplay department, made for a game that was well received by players and helped establish its name as one of the all-time-great games.
It would be safe to assume the possibility that many people, gamer or non-gamer, have heard of the infamous Grand Theft Auto series. Be it through word of mouth, a compilation of gameplay, or tutorials regarding missions. The truth is that the GTA series was and continues to be a staple for gamers worldwide.
GTA In The News
In more recent news, the series has come under the spotlight but not for the best reasons. Rockstar Games suffered a data breach resulting in development footage of GTA 6 being leaked far too early to the public. Every footage trace was soon taken down before Rockstar released a rare statement on their socials.
A Message from Rockstar Games pic.twitter.com/T4Wztu8RW8
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) September 19, 2022
Major Points
- GTA IV- A game loved by many but not without its setbacks
- The Definitive Edition Mod set out to overhaul the overall experience of the player
- Take-Two issued a notice to the developers of the said mod to have it taken down
A Second Lifeline To GTA IV
The proactive modding community set out to rectify the issues that plagued the game’s performance and visual aesthetic, ultimately leading it to be termed as dated far too quickly. The Definitive Edition Mod was a collaborative effort housing multiple mods targeting various aspects of the game.
The Definitive Edition Mod fixed a plethora of bugs, improved the otherwise very underwhelming visuals by tinkering with the lighting, and was able to polish the game engine, in turn providing a significant performance boost.
Take-Two Takes Action Against The Mod
The recent development spotted by TopTierList, procured by the Twitter account d_e_p_official, brings to light what seems to be a disappointing end to the otherwise highly appreciated mod.
Bad news guys. Appreciated if u got ppl to raise awareness / spread the word as much as possible.
I knew this day was coming
Here we are with a DMCA by Rockstar (I assume) on our GTAIV DE patch.
Well, I suppose we need to remove all GTAIV related stuff from the website. :/ pic.twitter.com/WUjKRluhXl— D.E.P | Definitive Edition Project (@d_e_p_official) September 18, 2022
It is a shame to see a mod, developed by the very community that has defined the essence of the Grand Theft Auto series and shown the ability to have completely revamped the experience, be taken off of the web for players to savor otherwise. At the same time, one can doubt how effective this may be considering the vast sites that house the download link for the mod.
No DMCA for the original trilogy (yet), just GTAIV.
So for now I think the trilogy is safe. Just enjoy it when you still can. 💀All GTAIV links are removed from both our website and Discord 💀
— D.E.P | Definitive Edition Project (@d_e_p_official) September 18, 2022
The silver lining in the clouds in this situation seems to be that no notice has been served to the developers regarding the remastered trilogy. Hence, players can still enjoy remastered copies of those titles without worrying.
Concluding Remarks
It would be interesting to see the lengths to which Take-Two goes to ensure the mod gets removed from the public completely. What is your take on this? Do you think they were right, or do they just want the spotlight? Leave your comments down below!