SAN FRANCISCO, April 30 — As open world adventure Grand Theft Auto IV rolls up on its tenth anniversary, developer Rockstar replaces some elements of its comprehensive soundtrack.
Over fifty songs have been withdrawn from the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack as music licenses expire, with the critically-acclaimed game approaching the 10-year anniversary of a 2008 release.
Launched on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 29, 2008, with a Windows PC edition following in December, Grand Theft Auto IV transported players to a comprehensive reworking of New York City — Liberty City in “GTA” parlance — representing four of New York’s five boroughs.
In a single-player storyline, players took control of Nico Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant missold the American dream. “GTA IV” courted no small amount of controversy in telling his criminal tale.
A multiplayer mode opened up the city as a playground (criminal or otherwise) for online tomfoolery and illicit antics free of legal repercussions.
On PC, “GTA IV” became the basis for a succession of impressive overhauls to graphics and gameplay carried out by a community of modders.
But with music licenses expiring, the legacy title’s soundtrack has undergone something of a shuffle.
Members of the GTAForums community site have been tracking changes and noted 54 songs that have been removed from both Grand Theft Auto IV and its subsequent expansions The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.
A good portion of those songs come from the Russian-themed in-game radio station Vladivostok FM, though most have been replaced with other tracks. 80s-themed Vice City FM and Liberty Rock Radio were also affected more than most.
“GTA IV” successor Grand Theft Auto V, along with its multiplayer component Grand Theft Auto Online, debuted in September 2013 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One edition arriving in November 2014 and a PC version made available in April 2015.
Developer Rockstar Games is currently working towards the October 2018 release of Wild West open-world adventure Red Dead Redemption 2. — AFP-Relaxnews
