Rockstar Changes EULA and Bans Players for Modding GTA V

[master_shake_]

This wouldn’t be such a big deal if it was for online mode, but you can actually get banned using mods in the single player mode as well. Rockstar has updated the EULA to now include this:
You agree not to:
[..] reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, display, perform, prepare derivative works based on, or otherwise modify the Software, in whole or in part;
So it looks like the GTA V modding scene is done and will not really be allowed to take off. Again this was a big selling point of the game adding many new features and even making the game look better.
Users that have been upset with this have taken to Steam and as of writing GTA V now has 6694 negative reviews.

should put this in off topic so i can swear....

but flip you rockstar.

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/rockstar-changes-eula-and-bans-players-for-modding-gta-v/

 

[ImpulsE69]

That solves that then. I won't be buying this game. Mods are the only thing that saved IV on the PC. These game companies never learn. They just BEG for people to hate them.

 

[master_shake_]

edited op for source...

and agree with impulse69

 

[ImpulsE69]

Maybe they just found out there's a hot coffee 2, and don't want to start an uproar.

 

[mmntech]

I saw this pop up on Reddit but so far none of the major gaming sites are reporting on it. So I'm taking this news with a grain of salt.

I can see why Rockstar would want to ban multiplayer mods (to prevent cheating), but banning single player ones is just stupid. Especially when that's one of the PC version's biggest draws.

 

[master_shake_]

Maybe they just found out there's a hot coffee 2, and don't want to start an uproar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgwgExJdbgE

maybe a reason to buy it?

 

[Udgnim]

have FOV mod

just play single player. have not touched GTA Online.

have not been bannned

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I saw this pop up on Reddit but so far none of the major gaming sites are reporting on it. So I'm taking this news with a grain of salt.

I can see why Rockstar would want to ban multiplayer mods (to prevent cheating), but banning single player ones is just stupid. Especially when that's one of the PC version's biggest draws.

The problem is that the singleplayer and online portion are integrated and you can swap between them on the fly. So if a mod works in singleplayer, it also works in multiplayer, and people have taken advantage of that to use all manner of hacks in the online world. It was absolutely stupid of Rockstar to set it up that way, but they have, and this is the obvious result. At this point, it seems like people aren't being banned just for using mods in singleplayer, but I'm not willing to risk it over such a boneheaded policy. Hopefully this can be resolved in such a way that bolsters the mod community rather than trying to stifle it.

 

[digitaldurandal]

This is ridiculous. I understand if someone is using hacks in online play but.. they should have better FOV options in the first place and I have seen multiple accounts of bannings for FOV modification.

Can you play the game in offline mode? Probably not because of the Rockstar login.

 

[wilds]

I was surprised at how strict Rockstar was when GTA V was first released on PS3/Xbox 360. Now with the PC release, I expected R* to remember their past and their previous GTA's gigantic modding scene. Nope! And it seems like it just is worse and worse.

I wanted to play GTA Online with others who also have mods. Modding playground just like GTA IV was. I'm not in it for farming $$$ to buy overpriced car parts. Screw that! Rockstar seems so out of touch with their player base and would rather try to make people buy Shark cards.

I hope they eventually have a seperate GTA Online without the need for $$ or rankings, and just free roam without any BS. And no, Cheaters Lobby isn't the same.

 

[DigDog]

and the funny thing is, pirates won't be banned and can enjoy all the mods they want.

but lets ignore that and keep supporting the companies.

 

[Anubis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOWhOT7rnIo



only because im curious, can you just change the EULA like that after the fact without any repercussions? I would think that doing that would be against some rule

 

[Genx87]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOWhOT7rnIo



only because im curious, can you just change the EULA like that after the fact without any repercussions? I would think that doing that would be against some rule

I'd think they can offer it up and you can accept. However I would also think if you decline their new EULA they need to offer a refund if the game in now unplayable. Another thing. I don't believe these EULAs would hold up in court anyways. Banning reverse engineering means what exactly? Our patent law makes it pretty clear this is a legal thing to do.

One way to test it is to get banned due to a new EULA and sue them in a court of law for a refund.

 

[Dahak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOWhOT7rnIo



only because im curious, can you just change the EULA like that after the fact without any repercussions? I would think that doing that would be against some rule

Generally yes, there would be something in there that will say in lawyer speak something to the effect of "we can change this at anytime, we want"


The sad thing about this is they should have announced that they were going to do this first before doing the change.

Although, agree with others, this is not a good thing.

 

[mnewsham]

If anyone bothered to read the EULA, this is word for word indentical to the EULA for GTA 4, as well as the EULA that was released back when GTA 5 originally came out for consoles.

This is the SAME EXACT EULA, there hasn't been an update, people are just finding this passage, connecting to people getting banned and saying "OMG SEE PEOPLE ARE GETTING BANNED AND HERE IS WHERE IT SAYS THEY CAN BAN YOU!!?"

You agree not to:
[..] reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, display, perform, prepare derivative works based on, or otherwise modify the Software, in whole or in part;

That is soooooo standard, and not any different from the original EULA of GTA 4 and tons of other games.



I really hate the internet some days, bunch of cry babies some times.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I really hate the internet some days, bunch of cry babies some times.

Stomp your foot some more crybaby.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I'd think they can offer it up and you can accept. However I would also think if you decline their new EULA they need to offer a refund if the game in now unplayable. Another thing. I don't believe these EULAs would hold up in court anyways. Banning reverse engineering means what exactly? Our patent law makes it pretty clear this is a legal thing to do.

One way to test it is to get banned due to a new EULA and sue them in a court of law for a refund.

We're talking $60, so isn't it likely you'd file in small claims court, Rockstar wouldn't send an attorney or even show up at all, and would receive a court order demanding they pay the $60 back?

Even if someone spent a couple hundred in the cash shop, that still falls under Small Claims.

 

[norseamd]

So why not just make some type of Battleeye software and let games that have mods run in default settings when they play multiplayer?

 

[Genx87]

We're talking $60, so isn't it likely you'd file in small claims court, Rockstar wouldn't send an attorney or even show up at all, and would receive a court order demanding they pay the $60 back?

Even if someone spent a couple hundred in the cash shop, that still falls under Small Claims.

They would probably just give you a refund. If they dont show up then yes they should have a summary judgement against them. This allows you to tag an asset for auction to pay the judgement if they dont pay. There are some rather humorous stories about people receiving a judgement against a big company and having the sheriff close an office to tag items for auction to pay that judgement. A check usually arrived within an hour

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[ImpulsE69]

I'm curious what the full story is though. This could become more of an issue with more and more games integrating multiplayer into single player. I mean I get they don't want hacking in multiplayer -- then quit requiring people to be online to play your damn single player game. Oh but then they couldn't push content and integrate into FB to tell everyone what you are doing!

ugh.. I'm really beginning to hate this culture.

 

[Subyman]

I was really looking forward to mods in GTA5. I don't care at all to play through it again with the vanilla experience.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Rockstar has responded saying they are not banning people for singleplayer mods. So that's a consolation I guess... but what if you have a mod active and you accidentally switch to your online avatar (which you can do from within the singleplayer), even for just a second? There's still clearly issues to be ironed out.

 

[sweenish]

Looks like everyone got all worked up over nothing. I hate how hard gamers overreact to things.

 

[norseamd]

Looks like everyone got all worked up over nothing. I hate how hard gamers overreact to things.

Given how the industry usually operates can you blame them?