GTA 5 in a Chrome tab? That's exactly what users demonstrated yesterday: videos of Grand Theft Auto 5 running in a browser circulated on social media. The site is now offline – and the debate about how publishers should handle AI clones is growing louder.
What happened to the GTA 5 browser port?
According to IGN, the material spread on Monday, and the associated website is now inaccessible. Reports suggest that hosting provider Cloudflare intervened. The site's operator recently asked publicly who would want the source code.
IGN suspects that the PC build was created similarly to the AI project Fallout: New York, which was built with Claude Opus 5.5. However, this has not been confirmed for GTA 5.
Why are AI clones of popular games becoming more frequent?
This wave is not new. Just last week, Bethesda sent a cease-and-desist letter to the fan project – we reported on the end of Fallout: New York. Also recently, according to IGN, the original Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved appeared in browsers. The point is: AI significantly accelerates the previously laborious process of reverse-engineering and recompiling.
The community is divided. Many celebrate the clones, while others argue that such projects don't offer original ideas but merely recreate or mix existing ones.
What does this mean for GTA 6?
The question IGN raises is exciting: How long will it take until GTA 6 also appears in browsers, and what can Take-Two do about it? So far, publishers are often left with just whack-a-mole – meaning stopping each appearing clone individually. From our perspective, that won't be enough in the long run, even if GTA 6 officially releases on November 19th. Those who want to play the original will continue to buy it regularly; a browser clone is a legal risk for all involved.
Source: IGN
How should publishers deal with AI clones? Tell us your opinion in the comments!
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.