Earlier this year, modder Dark Space added a speculative version of Grand Theft Auto 6's map to Grand Theft Auto 5, based on details from the trailer and alleged leaks about the forthcoming sequel. He’s now removed links to download the mod from his YouTube channel after receiving a copyright removal request from Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
The video in question was titled, “I Finally Made A Playable GTA 6 Map In FiveM and Single Player,” and showcased a mod Dark Space had created that attempted to recreate the unreleased sequel’s reimagining of Florida inside the existing game. With no new trailer or release date news in sight, it was catnip for fans desperate for something GTA 6-related to mess around with. But last week the copyright strike from Take-Two finally arrived, and the YouTuber removed not only the video (to avoid a losing his channel) but also links to the mod itself in hopes of deescalating the situation.
Then Dark Space did what any good YouTuber does: make content out of the situation. He explained the details to fans in a video released over the weekend and guessed as to why Take-Two ended up taking action against that particular video and not others. “My guess is that the map is probably a little too accurate. They must feel some sort of threat from it existing, because they feel that having a playable version of the map to drive around in could ruin the surprise and newness of GTA 6 when it releases,” he said. “In their corpo heads it leads to a loss in sales, but in reality my map does not negatively affect their sales. It was building hype around the game and giving players something to enjoy while waiting for the next trailer from Rockstar.”
Dark Space went on to blast the company for repeatedly targeting mods and other fan projects in the past, even in cases where the content helped make its products more playable at launch. That was the case with the disastrous launch of the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy collection on PC. “In most cases Take 2 just acts as a strong arm likely run by people who do not play games. They seek and destroy anything that could even vaguely be considered a threat to their IP,” he said. “These are top lawyers and they’re looking for a way to keep their job positions relevant. Big legal teams at companies like Take 2 justify their existence by constantly scanning YouTube, Nexus Mods and Reddit for violations.”
In the meantime, Dark Space told his YouTube followers he doesn’t want to risk losing any more work and time on video takedowns, and so will no longer be making content for GTA 5. The modder said its community work—like the GTA 6 mapping project and mod—help build hype for the game, and called on Take-Two to speak directly with content creators instead of sending copyright strikes. “We’re not the enemy,” he said at the end of his video. “You may own the games you sell but we buy them, and ultimately, when you’ve left them in the dust, it’s us who keep them alive.”
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