GTA 5 Switch port: Shocking end after modder taunts Rockstar
An unofficial GTA 5 Switch port is dead just days before its planned release. The modder known as M0jso announced Sept. 28 on X that their group, Paralympics Productions, will shut down Oct. 3 and will not release the port, after saying they received a cease-and-desist letter from Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive, Kotaku reported.
“I am sorry for not fulfilling your expectations and leaving you high and dry. I am thankful for take two’s mercy so this is the definitive end,” M0jso wrote.
What the GTA 5 Switch port showed
The project drew attention about a month ago, when M0jso shared a clip of a plane flying over Los Santos on the original Nintendo Switch at a steady 30 frames per second, Polygon reported. Through September, the modder posted more footage and screenshots and promised that GTA Online would follow, including the Cayo Perico heist.
Rockstar has never released “Grand Theft Auto V” on any Nintendo console. The game first launched in 2013 and has since come to PlayStation, Xbox and PC, and Take-Two reported in August that it has passed 230 million units sold-in worldwide, Outlook Respawn reported. That kind of value helps explain why the publisher guards it closely, and why fans were so eager to see the GTA 5 Switch port in action.
From taunt to takedown
Rockstar recently updated its modding rules to ban porting its games to other consoles or platforms, which is exactly what the project did. Polygon reported that breaking the rules could lead to a ban or account termination. On Sept. 20, M0jso responded on X: “Try me, Rockstar. IDGAF.”
Three days later, the modder posted a screenshot showing their Discord server had been terminated for copyright infringement, Polygon reported. M0jso, who is based in Serbia, at first brushed off the risk and said they could “just ignore” a cease-and-desist letter.
Less than a week later, the modder said Take-Two had sent one, warning of a possible lawsuit if work continued. Take-Two has not commented publicly on the letter. GamesRadar was first to spot the cancellation, Kotaku noted.
The publisher has a long record of defending its code. In September 2021, Take-Two sued the developers of re3 and reVC, fan projects that reverse-engineered “Grand Theft Auto III” and “Vice City,” in federal court in Northern California, GamingOnLinux reported. The suit sought statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work infringed.
Why the modder backed down
“I’m not an idiot to go against Take-Two,” M0jso wrote, according to Kotaku. The modder also said they would not share any code or assets from the port, since that could expose them to legal action too.
When a follower argued Rockstar would lose in court, M0jso disagreed. “I wouldn’t win in court most likely. They have solid grounds, and with me being cocky it shows real intent for ‘mayhem,'” the modder wrote. Asked about the earlier taunt, M0jso replied, “I wasn’t expecting them to hit back hard.” The modder also conceded, “I did get too cocky,” according to Polygon.
The reversal drew plenty of jokes online, given how confident the modder had sounded only days earlier. For fans who had followed the GTA 5 Switch port for weeks, though, the ending was a letdown after so much promising footage.
What’s next for GTA fans
With the GTA 5 Switch port canceled and no code being released, Switch owners still have no way to play the game on Nintendo hardware. Rockstar’s attention is on “Grand Theft Auto VI,” which is set to launch Nov. 19. Read our latest on GTA 6 updates and the publisher’s digital-only plan, or browse more gaming news.