Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has ordered the GTA 5 modding platform Rage: MP to cease operations.

The developers of the platform relayed the news via a forum post on Monday evening, noting that Take-Two had formally requested they shut down. The reason is because Take-Two and Rockstar Games have their own modding platform, FiveM, and it's the only authorized platform for modding GTA, especially with regards to the online portion of the game.

"We must share an important update about the future of RAGE: MP. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have made it clear that FiveM is the only authorized platform for GTAV multiplayer modding, as defined in their Platform License Agreement (PLA)," said the developers. "In accordance with that policy, and at Take-Two's request, RAGE: MP will begin a structured shutdown process. We are asking all server owners to wind down their operations and migrate to FiveM."

Server owners have until August 31, 2026 to migrate to FiveM, as operations for Rage: MP will officially cease.

Take-Two and Rockstar's relationship with the GTA modding community is long-running. In May 2015, the companies sparked a backlash when it was suggested they were looking at banning mods from GTA5, including in single-player. It was later clarified that modding was allowed and even encouraged, but that Rockstar was always monitoring for things that could threaten the health of GTA Online. The incident created some tension between fans, as many felt that the freedom to mod the game could be taken away at any minute. That fear was validated as later that same year, Rockstar tried to shut down FiveM for hosting "an unauthorized alternate multiplayer service that contains code designed to facilitate piracy."

However, it worked out in the end as all parties formed a strong relationship with Rockstar acquiring Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM. The acquisition happened back in August 2023 after an upsurge in the GTA RP community, a community that was only possible as a result of modding. This led some to believe that Rockstar acquired the team so that it could properly integrate modding and community servers into GTA 6.

Bethesda helped popularize modding on consoles when it began allowing community creations in Skyrim and Fallout 4, so there's hope among fans that GTA 6 will have modding tools for consoles as well. Nothing has been confirmed yet, and it may be a while before we hear anything, but it's clear that Rockstar and Take-Two are taking things more seriously in the lead-up to launch by taking action against Rage: MP.

Meanwhile, GTA 6 was supposed to release this week, but was delayed to November 19. Take-Two seems pretty confident that it will hit that date and has actively teased its extensive marketing plans for the game, which are slated to begin this summer. While you wait to find out, we’ve got plenty more on GTA 6 for you to read, including Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick’s comments on whether GTA 6 even needs a Trailer 3, his thoughts on the current console install base (GTA 6 isn’t coming out on PC at launch), and how GTA 6 is actually delayed around 18 months, not a year.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.