A few days ago, the OpenIV mod for GTA 5 was banned. After many negative reviews and criticism of Rockstar and Take-Two, the mod is back.
A real win for GTA 5 fans: After the modification software “OpenIV” was banned a few days ago, Rockstar stepped up and talked again with publisher “Take-Two” and the developers of the mod. In the meantime, there is a new update for OpenIV, and the developers are apparently allowed to continue their hobby.
The reason for the new solution could be the many thousands of signatures on Change.org and negative reviews on Steam.
Update for OpenIV
The GTA 5 mod “OpenIV” received an update today that brought bug fixes and minor corrections. Normally, this is not a reason for the users of the software to run around hysterically and shed tears of joy. However, this update is something very special.
Just a few days ago, the OpenIV mod team was instructed by Take-Two via a cease and desist to immediately stop the development of the software. The OpenIV team communicated this message to its users and stated that they would comply with the request and end development. The surprising update now suggests that Take-Two has decided to legalize the mod.
However, one must look to the future to see how OpenIV should continue to be developed. Because cheaters have been able to exploit OpenIV’s system in the past to gain advantages in the online realm of Grand Theft Auto. This was one of the original reasons for the ban on the mod.
Mod Regulations Updated on Support Website
A few days ago, Take-Two issued a ban on modifications that prohibits the popular OpenIV mod. This led to much criticism and negative reviews on Steam. A petition on Change.org has now reached over 75,000 digital signatures.
Apparently, the community’s criticism had an impact. Rockstar Games has now updated its support page and announced under a new section what the team thinks about single-player modifications.
After Rockstar Games’ discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has now agreed that they usually will not send notices to third-party projects for Rockstar’s PC games if these
- are for single-player mode,
- are not commercial
- and respect intellectual property rights.
This agreement does not apply to:
- multiplayer and online services
- tools, files, libraries, or functions that could affect multiplayer or online services
However, this statement regarding single-player mods also secures for the future: “This is not a license … Take-Two reserves the right to revoke or change this statement at any time.”
For modders, this is therefore no guarantee that they will not violate Take-Two’s rules with their modifications. Because if Take-Two desires, the rules can be changed at any time.
Hope for the Modding Scene
Shortly after this statement regarding single-player mods, it became known that Rockstar is in talks with the developers of OpenIV. These discussions apparently went positively for the modders, as evidenced by the current update of the mod.
There is still no official statement from OpenIV on this.
That Rockstar was willing to talk to the developers of the mod and that apparently a reasonable solution could be found shows that both sides have worked well. Without the solidarity of the GTA 5 community, the outcome of the story would likely have been different. Many factors contributed to a positive resolution of the situation.
Find all bunkers and vehicles from the latest Gunrunning DLC in GTA 5 Online here
