GTA 5 AI-powered mod removed from Nexus Mods following Take-Two copyright strike, modder claims

GTA5
Image credit: Rockstar Games (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

A popular mod for GTA 5 has been removed from Nexus Mods due to a DMCA takedown from Take-Two Interactive, according to its creator.

As Eurogamer reports, the Inworld Sentient Streets mod used AI to allow players to have open-ended conversations with NPCs in an all-new fan-made story. However, mod creator Bloc posted a statement on YouTube this week claiming that - as well as a DMCA takedown on the mod itself - their video showcasing the mod has also been taken down as a result of a copyright claim from Take-Two.

According to Bloc, they didn’t receive any warning from Take-Two before action was taken - they’ve described the whole ordeal as “disheartening”.

“I must say, as a person who grew up with the Grand Theft Auto series and enjoyed all the games throughout the years, this hostile attitude towards me and the mod is very disheartening,” Bloc wrote on YouTube. “This copyright strike on my channel hinders my ability to monetize my videos for the upcoming three months and remains as a mark on the channel, but more importantly, this can lead to account termination if it continues. 

“If there was something violating the policy in the video (such as something I said, the thumbnail, or something in the description, etc.), I would be happy to discuss that with Take-Two's contact person if they would just send me an email,” they continued. “Instead, they chose a non-communicative approach.”

The mod itself was downloaded “thousands” of times, and was both free and open-source, Bloc claims. They allege that none of the voices used in the mod were from Grand Theft Auto. However, neither Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive appear to have responded to the situation publicly at the time of writing.

GTA 6 is one of the most highly anticipated games on the horizon right now, but we still don’t know when it’s going to be released. For some of the most exciting games coming out in 2023, take a look at our list of upcoming games. You can also check out our selection of the best PC games available right now.

Catherine Lewis
News Writer, TechRadar Gaming

Catherine is a News Writer for TechRadar Gaming. Armed with a journalism degree from The University of Sheffield, she was sucked into the games media industry after spending far too much time on her university newspaper writing about Pokémon and cool indie games, and realising that was a very cool job, actually. She previously spent 19 months working at GAMINGbible as a full-time journalist. She loves all things Nintendo, and will never stop talking about Xenoblade Chronicles.