GTA: IV to Remove Its Licensed Music this Month

Music licensing in video games works differently than other media forms. Oftentimes, companies only have a limited time to use certain songs. It's the case for Grand Theft Auto IV. On April 26, 2018, the license will expire for the music found within the hit open-world game. Initially released on April 29, 2008, it appears the contract only lasted for 10 years.

This isn't a new problem for the franchise. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was temporarily removed when there was a dispute over a Micheal Jackson song, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had a patch that removed the music from the game. Both of these happened approximately 10 years after their release.

The latter was more controversial, since the patch was issued without warning. This left players upset about the sudden loss of content.

The stranger part of this story lies with the PS3 version of the game. Players have been prompted to download digital versions of the songs in order to keep playing them. No word on whether the option will be available for Xbox or PC. Nor do I fully understand what kind of legal loophole this dives through.

Over 800 people still play Grand Theft Auto: IV on a daily basis (according to Steam Charts). So while it may not be a problem for everyone, this change isn't going unseen.