After sending shockwaves with the sudden closure of GTA 5 modding tool OpenIV, Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has finally started changing things for the better.
T2 Interactive had initially forced OpenIV developers to shut their project down but as per latest reports, Rockstar has managed to bridge the gap between the two on the name of fan creativity. The studio believes or at least says, “in one way or another, fan creativity has a place in the games they develop”. They want things to work for the betterment of their titles – something that involves fans showcasing their passions.
Rockstar Negotiates With Take Two and OpenIV
The game developer negotiated with Take Two on the matter and was able to convince the parent company to stop taking 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.
But, the catch is, this will not be applied to multiplayer or online services and tools, files, libraries, or functions that could be used to impact such services or use of other IP in the project.
Rockstar has also explicitly stated that the negotiation does not constitute a waiver of any rights that Take-Two may have with respect to third-party projects. It noted, “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”.
All told, the new rule for players and mod creators marks a clearer line between what is wrong and what is right. The negotiations between OpenIV and Rockstar are conceived successful and from what we see, the modding tool will continue to exist now.
To confirm the development, this is what the team behind the mod posted on Twitter:
Yep, @OpenIV is back! https://t.co/p5Qi3FwFO7 pic.twitter.com/e4jQBC36tN
— GTANet (@GTANet) June 23, 2017
OpenIV has been an essential way to install many of the mods that currently exist for GTA 5. It allows access to files of the game and modifies them to install or replace contents such as models of weapons, vehicles, characters, and objects. However, using it in GTA online threatened the multiplayer experience of the game, and prompted T2 interactive to take necessary actions.