Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has confirmed that while AI-based tools are being used in the development of Grand Theft Auto 6, they are meant more for supporting the development pipeline. The creative aspects, he noted, are seeing no involvement of generative AI. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick spoke about the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence have been important tools, and how generative AI has “zero part in what Rockstar Games is building”.
“On the topic of AI, I’ve been enthusiastic since the very beginning,” he said. “This company’s products have always been built with machine learning and artificial intelligence. We’ve actually always been a leader in the space, and right now we have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including within our studios. And we’re already seeing instances where generative AI tools are driving costs and time efficiencies.”
He went on to note that, with Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar Games has been building things “from the ground up”. This means that every artistic aspect, like buildings, streets, and neighborhoods, are all being built by hand. It also means no procedural generation for the creation of GTA 6’s Vice City, he confirmed. This comes down to his belief that AI-based tools by themselves can’t “create great entertainment properties.”
“That said, do I think tools by themselves create great entertainment properties? No, there’s no evidence that that’s the case and it won’t be the case in the future,” he explained. “Specifically with regards to GTA 6, generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building. Their worlds are handcrafted. That’s what differentiates them. They’re built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They’re not procedurally generated, they shouldn’t be. That’s what makes great entertainment.”
While Grand Theft Auto 6 has seen quite a few delays since it was first announced, it seems to be on track for its November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Zelnick spoke about this in a recent statement, confirming that marketing plans are set to go live in Summer.
“Our execution throughout Fiscal 2026 has been extraordinary, and we are highly confident as we approach Fiscal 2027 – which promises to be groundbreaking for Take-Two and the entire entertainment industry – led by the November 19th release of Grand Theft Auto 6 with Rockstar’s launch marketing set to begin this Summer,” he said.
As November creeps closer, however, rumors have also indicated that Rockstar Games might opt out of a physical launch for GTA 6. According to a report, the studio is taking such a drastic measure to ensure that details about the game don’t inadvertently get leaked before its release. It is worth noting that Rockstar’s previous two releases—2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5 and 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2—didn’t face any such issues, with physical copies being available right from launch day.
Zelnick has also said that the launch of GTA 6 doesn’t mean that GTA Online support will come to an end.
