Rockstar Games acquires modding team that it previously banned

Enlarge / Artist's rendering of FiveM operating free and clear as part of Rockstar after years of Rockstar claiming it was "facilitating piracy." (credit: FiveM)

Longtime readers might remember popular Grand Theft Auto V mod FiveM from a 2015 story where Rockstar Games banned the mod's developers, alleging that their work "contains code designed to facilitate piracy." Eight years later, Rockstar is taking a decidedly different tone in announcing that Cfx.re—the mod team behind FiveM and a similar mod for Red Dead Redemption 2—is now "officially a part of Rockstar Games."

With no apparent sense of irony, Rockstar said in a Friday blog post announcing the acquisition that it has "watched with excitement as Rockstar’s creative community have found new ways to expand the possibilities of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, particularly through the creation of dedicated roleplay servers."

But that statement ignores the distinct lack of excitement Rockstar exhibited when it barred the Rockstar Social Club accounts of many FiveM modders and others associated with promoting the project in 2015. "Our policy on such violations of our terms of service are clear, and the individuals involved in its creation have had their Social Club accounts suspended," the company said at the time.