An advertisement for Take-Two Interactive Software's "Grand Theft Auto 4" video game
An advertisement for Take-Two Interactive Software's "Grand Theft Auto 4" video game is seen on the side of a building in Los Angeles April 26, 2008. REUTERS/Lisa Baertlein Reuters

There has been a lot of uncertainty on the subject of user mods for "Grant Theft Auto 5." The eagerness of PC gamers to know the fate of user mods for the game has been compounded by Rockstar Games' troubling silence on the matter. However, the tricky nature of the subject means that the company has chosen to be careful not to offend mod-loving PC gamers. That's exactly what's happened because, as VG247 points out, Rockstar has issued a statement promising that it doesn't plan on banning legitimate single-player mods.

"We have always appreciated the creative efforts of the PC modding community and we still fondly remember the awesome zombie invasion mod and original GTA map mod for GTA IV PC among many other classics," read a statement made by Rockstar on the subject through an announcement on the official website. "To be clear, the modding policy in our license has not changed and is the same as for GTA IV."

The last line is of great significance because, as most "GTA 4" fans will remember, the PC version of the last game in the franchise has enjoyed an overwhelming support from modders. In a nutshell, PC gamers should be happy to know that Rockstar won't be cracking down on "GTA 5" mods. Going by the official statement, only the mods that allow gamers to cheat or otherwise ruin the collective gaming experience will be eligible for a ban.

The issue of Rockstar possibly banning mods arose after the recently issued patch inadvertently caused the popular modding tool "Script Hook V" to be inoperable, according to Gamespot. Concerned PC gamers saw this oversight as a deliberate and underhanded move by the company to disable mods by proxy. The "GTA" maker, however, categorically denied such intent and described the move as a genuine mistake. It reiterated that no player has been banned for using mods so far, and that gamers shouldn't worry about being banned for the same reason in the future either.

User created mods for PC games is a contentious issue. This is especially true for games that have some form of competitive online multiplayer component integrated within them. It is hard to determine the legitimacy of mods as it's hard to tell whether they genuinely enhance the game or are simply used for cheating. The latter is something that can utterly ruin a competitive online multiplayer game; therefore, game developers are wary about letting such mods prevail.

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Grand Theft Auto V: First Person Experience (credit: Rockstar Games )