The team behind the massive GTA 5 mod that added a fully functional Liberty City to the game says it's "decided to take down" the project "after speaking with Rockstar Games," in a move that was "mutually agreed upon by all parties involved."
Known as the Liberty City Preservation Project, the mod surged in popularity recently for its incredible attention to detail. Beyond the classic GTA 4 locations, it boasted a working subway system, ambient traffic, and even preserved the notorious swing set glitch. It was arguably the next best thing to an actual GTA 4 remake, and considering it was a totally fan-made project, it was very impressive. Now, though, the devs have removed all their download links, and no one is allowed to share links to it in the official Discord server, either.
"Due to the unexpected attention that our project received and after speaking with Rockstar Games, we have decided to take down the Liberty City Preservation project," a message sent in the mod's Discord server reads. "We appreciate all the support that the project has received, and we look forward to continuing to pursue our passion for modding the Grand Theft Auto series."
Following up on this statement a few hours later, it's clarified that "this isn't a DMCA, rather a friendly takedown, mutually agreed upon by all parties involved. There is no negativity between us and Rockstar Games / Take-Two Interactive." The Discord server itself will remain in place for "future projects and community mods," but "LCPP download links are not allowed to be shared" in it. Furthermore, the team doesn't recommend downloading it from any "unofficial links," warning that "they may contain malware."
It's a real shame to see the mod go after what was no doubt tons of effort, but at least the team behind it seemingly isn't deterred from the idea of pursuing new projects in the future.
