GTA 5 is so Old that Even the Licensed Music is Disappearing

GTA 5 is still a very lively game, having been updated for years, but that doesn’t mean some old agreements will last forever. It turns out that Rockstar removed a song from one of the game’s radio stations with their latest update. Moreover, this is something we haven’t seen much of in GTA 5.

GTA 5 Loses a Licensed Song with an Update for the First Time

According to data miner Tex, who analyzes Rockstar games, Moloko’s song “The Time Is Now” has been removed from GTA 5 Enhanced Edition. A new update for the game was also released on SteamDB on the same day. A similar change is expected in the console versions as well.

Rockstar hasn’t officially explained why the song was removed. However, the strongest possibility is that the music license, signed years ago, has expired. Considering that almost 13 years have passed since the release of GTA 5, this isn’t surprising. It’s even possible that other songs will disappear in a similar way in the future.

This isn’t entirely new for Rockstar. In 2018, the company removed some radio songs from GTA 4 due to expiration of their licenses. The difference with GTA 5 is that the game is still actively updated through GTA Online. This means that content can be removed from the existing game without waiting for a new version to be released.

The sad part is this: GTA 5 has been around for so long that it’s no longer just the age of its graphics or mechanics that’s being discussed; even its music licenses are starting to be retired. With GTA 6’s November 19th release approaching, and considering Rockstar is preparing a brand new music catalog for the new game, renewing all the old licenses may not be as attractive for the company as it once was.

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