Rockstar Games’ titles like Grand Theft Auto V have not only been known for their epic open worlds and sense of endless possibility, but have also been known for having extensive modding communities that have pushed the boundaries of their games even further, as the company will continue to support this in a new statement addressed at its parent company, Take Two Interactive.

Last week, Take-Two Interactive sent through a cease-and-desist letter to the developer of OpenIV, Yuriy “Good-NDS” Krivoruchko – a widely-popular tool used within the modding community for some of Rockstar’s titles like Grand Theft Auto V and IV, and Max Payne 3. In light of its widespread popularity, Take-Two sent the C&D on the basis that “OpenIV enables recent malicious mods that allow harassment of players and interferes with the GTA Online experience for everybody.”

In response, the publisher received severely negative reactions from the modding community around Grand Theft Auto V, with Rockstar Games appearing to take intervene in the dispute between Take-Two and the community. In a statement posted to its support page in regard to single-player mods, Rockstar explained that it has spoken with Take-Two and assured that no legal action will be taken against those seeking to create and distribute mods and “reasonable fan creativity” – the full statement from the company can be read below:

“Rockstar Games believes in reasonable fan creativity, and, in particular, wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. After discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties. This does not apply to (i) multiplayer or online services; (ii) tools, files, libraries, or functions that could be used to impact multiplayer or online services, or (iii) use or importation of other IP (including other Rockstar IP) in the project. This is not a license, and it does not constitute endorsement, approval, or authorization of any third-party project. Take-Two reserves the right to object to any third-party project, or to revise, revoke and/or withdraw this statement at any time in their own discretion. This statement does not constitute a waiver of any rights that Take-Two may have with respect to third-party projects.”

Notably, the statement excludes multiplayer or online mods and those that incorporate other IP that could put other mods or creations at risk that break those boundaries, though Rockstar is in talks with Krivoruchko to resolve some of the disputes with OpenIV and Take-Two.

While it still seems there is some legal groundwork to cover for both parties, Rockstar’s statements at least show an encouraging step between both Take-Two and the modding community to find some mutual ground for the time being.

Posted: Jun 24, 2017 10:05 pm
Related Forum: Grand Theft Auto Forum

Source: http://www.dualshockers.com/take-two-rockstar-games-mods-dispute/