{"id":163964,"date":"2024-10-25T10:29:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T08:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hifivem.com\/?p=163964"},"modified":"2026-06-22T20:39:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:39:20","slug":"the-downfall-of-fivem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/the-downfall-of-fivem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Downfall of FiveM: After Rockstar&#8217;s Acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 2023, what seemed like a promising partnership between Rockstar Games and CFX.re (the team behind FiveM) has evolved into a cautionary tale about corporate acquisitions in the gaming industry. <a href=\"https:\/\/gtafocal.com\/2024\/08\/06\/inside-the-chaotic-20m-fivem-acquisition\/\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"https:\/\/gtafocal.com\/inside-the-chaotic-20m-fivem-acquisition\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The $20 million deal, which initially appeared to offer stability and resources to the popular GTA V modding platform<\/a>, has instead led to significant turbulence and uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block has-ast-global-color-4-background-color has-background\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ol><li><a href=\"#the-lead-up-to-the-acquisition\">The Lead-Up to the Acquisition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#behind-the-acquisition\">Behind the Acquisition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-post-acquisition-fallout\">The Post-Acquisition Fallout<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#rockstars-strategic-play\">Rockstar&#8217;s Strategic Play<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#current-state-and-future-prospects\">Current State and Future Prospects<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-gta-vi-shadow-looming\">The GTA VI Shadow Looming<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#looking-ahead\">Looking Ahead<\/a><ol><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-lead-up-to-the-acquisition\">The Lead-Up to the Acquisition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relationship between Rockstar Games and FiveM wasn&#8217;t always amicable. In 2015, Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar&#8217;s parent company) attempted to shut down the mod, going as far as sending private investigators to the home of FiveM&#8217;s founder, known as NTA. Despite these early conflicts, FiveM continued to thrive, building a passionate community and establishing itself as a preferred alternative to GTA Online for many players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"reddit-embed-bq\" style=\"height:500px\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/pcgaming\/comments\/6hipf3\/heres_rockstars_statement_about_taketwo_shutting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here&#39;s Rockstar&#39;s statement about Take-Two shutting down GTA&#39;s OpenIV modding tool<\/a><br> by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/-Pao\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">u\/-Pao<\/a> w<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/pcgaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pcgaming<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.reddit.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"behind-the-acquisition\">Behind the Acquisition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sources close to the development team reveal that serious acquisition talks began in late 2022. Surprisingly, NTA, FiveM&#8217;s creator, wasn&#8217;t initially involved in these negotiations and only became aware of the deal as it approached completion. At the time, CFX.re was generating approximately $1.5 million monthly, making the $20 million acquisition price seem notably low. The acquisition was a big mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision to sell was influenced by internal challenges. NTA, reportedly exhausted from managing the company and dealing with various personal and work-related issues, saw Rockstar as a potential solution to the platform&#8217;s need for structured leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, we are proud to announce that <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RIDVpeoqCS\">https:\/\/t.co\/RIDVpeoqCS<\/a> \u2014 the team behind the biggest Rockstar roleplay and creator communities, FiveM and RedM \u2014 are now officially a part of Rockstar Games: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PqVyvdsjIX\">https:\/\/t.co\/PqVyvdsjIX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gd3ETq9iwx\">pic.twitter.com\/gd3ETq9iwx<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RockstarGames\/status\/1689969964923432960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 11, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-post-acquisition-fallout\">The Post-Acquisition Fallout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The honeymoon period was brief. Just six months after the acquisition, NTA was terminated from Rockstar, allegedly due to &#8220;erratic and hostile behavior&#8221; toward other employees. This led to several consequences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The acquisition payment was reportedly halved due to contract violations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A temporary shutdown of FiveM occurred, damaging credibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many original team members were dismissed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former CFX.re employees have described a toxic work environment characterized by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Major mismanagement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regular miscommunication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lack of internal transparency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor treatment of the original team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rockstars-strategic-play\">Rockstar&#8217;s Strategic Play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evidence suggests that Rockstar&#8217;s acquisition might have been part of a larger strategy. The company had reportedly been developing its own FiveM competitor since 2021, a project that was temporarily shelved during the acquisition but has since been revived. This project, known as ROME (Rockstar Online Modding Engine), is expected to be integrated into GTA Online by late 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"current-state-and-future-prospects\">Current State and Future Prospects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the internal turmoil, FiveM&#8217;s community continues to grow, recently surpassing 300,000 concurrent players. However, the platform faces several challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of clear direction under Rockstar&#8217;s leadership<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uncertainty about future development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Competition from Rockstar&#8217;s upcoming modding tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Demoralized development team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-gta-vi-shadow-looming\">The GTA VI Shadow Looming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-300x167.webp\" alt=\"FiveM in GTA 6\" class=\"wp-image-153058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-300x167.webp 300w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-1024x570.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-768x427.webp 768w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-1536x855.webp 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-18x10.webp 18w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-110x61.webp 110w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-60x33.webp 60w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6-800x445.webp 800w, https:\/\/cdn.fivemx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/fivem-in-gta-6.webp 1716w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The situation becomes even more concerning when considering the upcoming release of GTA VI. With Rockstar&#8217;s focus inevitably shifting toward their new flagship title, FiveM&#8217;s position becomes increasingly precarious. Industry analysts fear that once GTA VI launches, Rockstar may gradually phase out support for <a href=\"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/best-gta-v-graphics-mods\/\" id=\"49\">GTA V modding platforms<\/a>, including FiveM, in favor of pushing players toward their new game and its official online features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The implementation of ROME (Rockstar Online Modding Engine) in late 2024 could be seen as a strategic stepping stone toward this transition. By establishing their own modding framework within GTA Online, Rockstar could be laying the groundwork for a more controlled, monetized modding ecosystem in GTA VI \u2013 one where independent platforms like FiveM might not have a place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This shift would likely mean the end of the free-form, community-driven modding culture that made FiveM so popular. Instead, players might face a more restrictive, corporate-approved system of modifications that prioritizes monetization over creative freedom. The passion projects and innovative roleplay experiences that defined FiveM could be replaced by carefully curated, officially sanctioned content that fits within Rockstar&#8217;s revenue model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, with Rockstar&#8217;s history of aggressive stance toward third-party modifications, it&#8217;s possible that GTA VI might launch with much stricter technical limitations and legal restrictions, making it significantly more difficult \u2013 if not impossible \u2013 for independent modding platforms to emerge. This could effectively end the era of community-driven modding that FiveM helped pioneer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"looking-ahead\">Looking Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The future of FiveM remains uncertain. While Rockstar appears committed to developing user-generated content capabilities within GTA Online, including potential roleplay elements, the fate of FiveM as an independent platform hangs in the balance. NTA herself has publicly expressed regret about the acquisition, calling it &#8220;the worst decision of my life&#8221; in a recent tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Rockstar moves toward incorporating more user-generated content and roleplay features into GTA Online, the gaming community watches closely to see whether FiveM can maintain its unique position in the ecosystem or if it will be gradually replaced by official Rockstar alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, FiveM&#8217;s story serves as a reminder that even successful independent platforms can face significant challenges when absorbed by larger corporations, regardless of initial promises and intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"also-read-this-post-if-this-topic-interests-you\">Also read this post if this topic interests you:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-gta-focal wp-block-embed-gta-focal\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/gtafocal.com\/inside-the-chaotic-20m-fivem-acquisition\/\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In August 2023, what seemed like a promising partnership between Rockstar Games and CFX.re (the team behind FiveM) has evolved into a cautionary tale about corporate acquisitions in the gaming industry. The $20 million deal, which initially appeared to offer stability and resources to the popular GTA V modding platform, has instead led to significant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-163964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fivem-related"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206980,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163964\/revisions\/206980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemx.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}