OpenIV mod tool for GTA V goes offline after request from publisher Take-Two

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The makers of the popular modtool OpenIV for GTA V have received a cease and desist letter from publisher Take-Two. The developers have decided not to initiate legal proceedings and to comply with the request to stop. The tool has been taken offline.

Users who open OpenIV will see a message recommending that they uninstall the software. The developers of the modtool received a request from Take-Two on June 5 to discontinue their tool. Lead developer GooD-NTS says in a forum post that the team could sue to prove that modding is fair use and that the tool is legal. He argues that this will not happen, because a lawsuit will take a lot of time and effort, while at best it will only result in a new status quo.

The developer states that while Grand Theft Auto modding has always been a gray area, OpenIV operated in the best possible way. During the development of the tool through reverse engineering, original data or code from the game was never released and the modtool could not be used to modify GTA Online.

OpenIV existed for almost ten years and was also used for previous Grand Theft Auto games. The tool allowed users to make adjustments to the single player part of the PC version of the games. For example, it is possible to replace 3D models of, for example, cars, or to make machinima videos.

GTA developer Rockstar himself has not been negative towards mods in the past. In recent years, for example, the developer posted a number of messages about mods made by the community on its own website. Rockstar also clarified in 2015 that users will not be banned if they adjust the single player portion of GTA V. Rockstar also said they appreciate the creativity of modders. Publisher Take-Two seems to be the only party to defend itself against the OpenIV software.

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