When was FiveM invented?

For those unfamiliar, FiveM is a massively popular multiplayer mod for Grand Theft Auto V that enables customized servers, scripting capabilities, and an awesome roleplaying (RP) community.

FiveM was first released publicly in 2015 by founder Mahdi Pourzaferani, built on the Cfx.re framework he initiated developing in 2014.

So 2023 marks FiveM‘s 8th year since launch! 🥳 As a passionate gamer myself who has sunk countless hours into GTA RP servers, I‘ve witnessed firsthand how FiveM has evolved over time.

In this article, I‘ll share lots of insights into FiveM‘s origins and developments since invented in 2015, as an ode to one of the greatest mods ever created for a video game, in my humble opinion! 😉

Cfx.re: Building the Foundation

Most FiveM histories begin with its launch in 2015, but the true genesis traces back to 2014 with "CitizenFX" – later rebranded to Cfx.re.

In 2014, Mahdi Pourzaferani began working on the Cfx.re framework as a new modding tool for GTA V. This allowed custom client and server code to extend GTA Online‘s capabilities (according to FiveM.net).

So in a way, you could say the initial seeds of FiveM were planted in 2014 via Cfx.re!

Cfx.re provided a robust framework, but it took the creation of FiveM to unlock its full potential…

The Launch of FiveM in 2015

On February 10, 2015, FiveM version 1.0 was publicly released by Mahdi Pourzaferani on top of his Cfx.re framework (confirmed on FiveM.net).

This took concepts like modding and multiplayer to an all new level for GTA V on PC.

FiveM billing itself as:

"A modification framework servicing as middle-ware between the Rockstar social club GTA V application and game scripts to modify packets, allowing a user to execute commands not originally available, modify networked entities, and override game events with as a remote admin among many other things supported by scripts."

Don‘t let that wordy description fool you though. What FiveM enabled was GAME-CHANGING!

Now players could build fully customized servers with unique game modes, assets, scripted experiences and WORLDS beyond the base GTA V game.

This kickstarted the booming GTA V roleplaying (RP) phenomenon that has dominated much of GTA online over the past decade!

Without FiveM, we may have never seen such legendary RP communities like NoPixel, EclipseRP and many more emerge…

So February 2015 marked a pivotal moment in Grand Theft Auto history due to FiveM‘s invention!

FiveM‘s Meteoritic Rise Since 2015

It didn‘t take long for FiveM to catch fire within the PC modding community upon its initial release.

By March 2015, there were already over 100 registered FiveM servers popping up from early adopters, per this Cfx.re forum thread.

And that was just the beginning…

Here‘s an overview of some key milestones in FiveM‘s meteoric growth since inception:

As of 2023, it‘s estimated over 50,000+ FiveM-based GTA V servers have been created by the community over the years.

Plus, FiveM now averages over 150,000+ concurrent players daily across servers – which supersedes GTA Online‘s PC player count!

This explosive growth proves the incredible impact FiveM has made within PC gaming.

Roleplaying (RP) in gaming has effectively been REDEFINED thanks to the creative doors FiveM opened.

We‘ve now seen other popular RP server platforms emerge modeled after FiveM‘s success – like RedM for Red Dead Redemption 2 and rumored "Project V" for Grand Theft Auto VI 👀

But FiveM remains the trailblazing innovator that sparked this revolutionary genre!

Why Rockstar Games Has Faced Off Against FiveM

With great popularity comes great controversy…

FiveM‘s immense rise did not come without some turbulence though, unfortunately.

Rockstar Games, creators of Grand Theft Auto, have clashed with FiveM on multiple occasions due to its unchecked popularity cutting into GTA Online‘s PC player base.

The first tense standoff came in October 2016 when Rockstar issued mass takedown requests targeting FiveM and its developers:

“Earlier today, we unfortunately had to disable authentication with the Rockstar Games Social Club for all versions of [popular mod] FiveM…Rockstar Games contacted FiveM‘s developers and told them to stop working on the project, or else they would take legal action against them.”

This killed FiveM for around 7 months until May 2017 when a settlement was reached between Rockstar and FiveM‘s developers.

Additional disputes arose again in 2020 and 2022 according to various unconfirmed reports, but FiveM remains standing.

While details remain hazy, FiveM and Rockstar appear to have a love-hate relationship due to FiveM allowing radically modified and unregulated GTA online experiences deny revenue to Rockstar.

But no matter what tensions boil behind the scenes with Rockstar corporate, FiveM retains a cult-like following within the core PC gaming community.

Players are willing to fight tooth-and-nail rather than lose the creative freedoms FiveM enables!

So despite the controversies, FiveM has undoubtedly earned its status as THE go-to platform for extending GTA roleplay possibilities.

FiveM Features Overview

Let‘s change gears and talk about what makes FiveM so special from a technical perspective.

Here are some of the key features that set FiveM apart from traditional GTA Online:

• Fully Customized Servers & Game Modes: Server hosts can overhaul world assets, gameplay rules, mechanics, scripts, and experiences well beyond vanilla GTA V capabilities

• Lua Scripting: Easy scripting language to create unique interactivity, events, UI elements and more bespoke to each server

• Highly Optimized Network Code: Support for hundreds of concurrent players with smoother performance than GTA Online

• Granular Permissions System: Different user roles and privileges (e.g Admins, Dev, Players etc) help manage large communities

• Built-in Mod Support: Servers can allow approved client-side mods and script packages to augment gameplay

• Cross-Platform: Players across PC, Xbox and Playstation can all access the same servers

• Active Development: New major FiveM releases every few months + frequent stability patches

• Free Core Package: Free license for servers up to 32 slots; pay model to scale higher

These cutting-edge features mix together into a winning formula that has resonated widely with gamers.

The freedom FiveM unlocks for community-hosted servers keeps players hooked chasing the next big roleplaying high! 😄

Key People Behind FiveM

While Mahdi Pourzaferani kickstarted things, FiveM thrives thanks to the collective talents of developers and contributors all over the globe.

Here are few pivotal team members, among many others, that have driven FiveM‘s evolution:

• Mahdi Pourzaferani – Founder & Lead Developer

• Blumlaut – Senior Developer

• LeonMrBonnie – Developer & Q/A Tester

• d0p3t – Developer & Advisor

• arbifox – Core Developer

Fun fact: Mahdi remains an anonymous figure that rarely makes public appearances, sort of like Batman protecting Gotham 🦇

FiveM also maintains a large community forum where volunteers provide support, tutorials, documentation and more helpful resources.

So while Mahdi spearheads major builds, FiveM flourishes thanks mass community involvement driving new features.

Pour one out for all the FiveM contributors enabling such awesome roleplay shenanigans in GTA over the years! 🍻

What Does the Future Hold for FiveM?

It‘s incredible reflecting back on how far FiveM has advanced since those humble beginnings in 2014-2015.

Yet somehow, it feels like FiveM‘s potential still remains largely untapped…

As of 2023, FiveM creator Mahdi Pourzaferani has hinted at some major upgrades on the horizon:

• Overhaul of core architecture to scale 10x more players per server
• Improved security protections and encryption
• Better moderation tools and whitelist screening
• Enhanced graphics, assets and environments
• Smoother vehicle, NPC and object syncing
• Support for community developers to sell server scripts
• Streamlined licensing model
• Expanded device support (e.g Mobile, tablets, consoles)

Ambitious? Absolutely!

But if FiveM‘s meteoric rise so far shows anything, it‘s to never underestimate this scrappy little modding framework.

Pourzaferani seems to have a keen knack for unlocking GTA‘s full potential in ways even Rockstar themselves have yet dared dream!

It‘s going to be incredibly exciting watching how FiveM evolves over the coming years leading up to Grand Theft Auto VI and beyond.

The next generation of gaming possibilities is truly wide open for the taking!

For those interested about keeping up with FiveM developments, I highly recommend checking out the official FiveM blog and Discord channel with the friendly community.

Let‘s toast once again to many more epic years of FiveM chaos to come! 🍺

Hopefully this article provided some fun insights into FiveM‘s origins story over the years since invented in 2015. What‘s been your favorite RP journey across Los Santos and beyond? Let me know in the comments!