A promising YouTube fan project that saw Grand Theft Auto San Andreas remade in Unreal Engine 4 to create trailers has been taken down by Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, according to reports and the status of that project’s YouTube channel. GTA San Andreas is one of the most popular entries in the franchise and has been a consistent target of speculation for potential remake rumors, with some fans hoping that the upcoming GTA 6 will actually return to the location in the future.
While there have been plenty of official game remakes lately - FF7 Remake is perhaps the most prominent, but Capcom has produced two quality examples in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 as well – there have been even more created by fans. As technology grows more powerful and fans become better educated on how to use it, the video game community has witnessed more talented players working on their favorite nostalgic titles in Unreal Engine recreations. Some of them even attempt to recreate gameplay and modernize it, as is the case with an incredible Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Unreal Engine remake that made waves earlier this year.
However, the GTA San Andreas remake project that was equally enticing to fans of the series has since been taken down by Take-Two Interactive, the parent company that manages Rockstar Games and all its IPs. While Take-Two is notoriously strict about potential fan recreations even by industry standards, this instance is particularly egregious because of how thorough the creators were in establishing their intent for the project. As documented by YouTuber SWEGTA, the GTA San Andreas trailer was made in Unreal Engine 4 and was explicitly labeled as something that was not made to recreate the game. Instead, it focused on some throwbacks and updated models in something that was much more machinima than a full on fan remake.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the project from being taken down by Take-Two Interactive. Arcadia Squad, the creator of the fan-made GTA San Andreas trailer, addressed the disappearance of the trailer in a brief statement on the channel’s community page, which showed that Take-Two had filed a copyright claim to take down the video. In the wake of this decision, fans have continued to express their exasperation over Take-Two Interactive’s aggressive stance on community content, especially fan recreations of its properties.
It’s a disappointing decision from Take-Two Interactive, as the GTA San Andreas trailer felt like it was very clear about its intentions and wasn’t actually trying to recreate gameplay. With other game communities thriving thanks to content creators consistently updating and remaking beloved elements of them, it’s shocking to see Grand Theft Auto - itself the beneficiary of a community keeping it vibrant in the form of the GTA Online fanbase – have such a stringent stance on player input and creativity.
Source: SWEGTA, Arcadia Squad
