In a shocking turn of events, Rockstar Games have announced that they will be joining forces with a popular creative group, CFX.RE who created some of the most popular modding tools for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5. The official statement released by Rockstar Games reads,
Today, we are proud to announce that CFX.RE – the team behind the biggest Rockstar roleplay and creator communities – FiveM and RedM – are now officially a part of Rockstar Games.
In their official statement, Rockstar Games has highlighted the importance of these creative communities in expanding the possibilities offered to fans across the world, by creating a number of dedicated roleplay servers for two of Rockstar’s most prominent games. Furthermore, they have also stated that they have changed their policies governing the existence of GTA 5 and RDR2 mods. Mods and roleplay servers created by contributors from CFX.RE will now be officially supported by Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive.
Rockstar Games finally puts down arms and embraces modders
Rockstar Games has a long history of shutting down various RP servers and modders over the years. The developer has been trying to regulate (or simply shut down) the number of GTA V mods out there ever since the game’s release in 2013. The noticeable struggle and legal battles began in 2017 when Rockstar Games implemented various policies and restrictions to keep the modders and roleplayers out of GTA Online. Over the years, the developer has made substantial changes to their policies. However, most of these changes were still restrictions for potential modders, and those restricted the mod authors from reverse-engineering the game’s code and stopped them from using any assets or codes from the game.
However, over the decade, the popularity of various types of GTA 5 mods has exploded, with a special boost gained by GTA 5 roleplaying on Twitch during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these popular GTA 5 RP servers offer a unique mod that enables players to use the pre-existing framework of GTA Online to create brand-new game modes. Some of the most popular ones include FiveM (created by CFX.RE, which allows players to roleplay in a multiplayer environment), Iron Man mod (players put on the Iron Man suit and fly), Police Mod (allows players to play from the perspective of Los Santos Police Dept.), Home Invasion mod (allows players to burgle homes along with shops), and Character Menu mod (allows players to play as any NPC in the game).
Fans react to Rockstar Games-CFX partnership
Fans are overjoyed by this announcement, with a large number of players unable to believe the Rockstar Games’ stance about mods finally changing. Many are extremely excited to get their hands on these mods, as they are now officially approved by the developer and players can engage in gameplay without having to worry about losing their progress if Take-Two suddenly decides to ban them.
ROCKSTAR ACTUALLY WORKING WITH MODDERS INSTEAD OF TAKING THEM DOWN, IT'S A NEW ERA
— Synth Potato (Ameer) π₯ (@SynthPotato) August 11, 2023
Rockstar Games launched a legal crusade against the modders in August 2021 and two years later, they finally seem to have calmed down. While the developer hasn’t announced the exact changes they have made to their policies, the acquisition of CFX.RE is definitely indicative of their changing attitude. To say the least, fans will gain a chance to access at least two RP servers and mods officially approved by Rockstar Games.
Damn, the sandbox just got bigger. π§
Congrats! Never thought I would see the day that the core developer and modders would bridge the gap like this.
— GTAWiseGuy (@GTAWiseGuy) August 11, 2023
Implications for GTA 6
Apart from the existing GTA 5 mods, fans are excited to understand what this could mean for GTA 6. Many believe that Rockstar Games is finally changing their policies now, as they stand to gain much more by partnering up with these modders, instead of letting them thrive on their own. The legal struggle certainly must have been a long ordeal for the developer and they couldn’t shut down many of the mods and RP servers they were against. This move seems prudent, as now they can stand to gain benefit by letting partner creators update and market new mods, rather than trying to shut them down.
This is great news for future rockstar games. Especially GTA6 π
— ππ¬ππ£ππ»πΈοΈ (@owen02_) August 11, 2023
Others think this move to be calculated and strategic, believing that Rockstar Games is trying to cash in the popularity of existing mods and leashing some of the best (and most popular) creators to create mods that adhere to the developer’s vision. This could also mean the rise of microtransactions in the game, something that currently only the GTA 5 mods feature (no matter how hard Rockstar Games has tried to shut it down). This would offer the developer autonomy over the player base’s in-game transactions with real money, even in the single-player version of the upcoming game.
If they're moving into roleplay, it'll be so they can put microtransactions on RP servers for GTA6.
— ManBearJay (@ManBearJay) August 11, 2023
Source: Rockstar Games
