Now is a good time to be a Grand Theft Auto fan. Yesterday, during its Q3 earnings call, Take-Two confirmed that marketing for GTA 6 would begin this summer, effectively locking in its November 19 release date.
The good news didn’t stop there either, as in a new interview, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said, “With regards to GTA 6, Generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building.”
However, while Gen AI will be absent from its next hit, the CEO claimed that the technology is being used throughout the company, with “hundreds of pilots and implementations”.
It Looks Like Rockstar Is Using Generative AI, Just Not To Help It Create Games
During the investor call, Zelnick told participants, “We’re actively embracing generative AI. We have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including with our studios, and we are seeing opportunities to drive efficiencies, reduce costs, and create the opportunity to do what digital technology has always allowed, which is, mundane tasks become easier and less relevant, which frees up our creators to do the more interesting tasks of making superb entertainment.”
We have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including with our studios,
While his focus is on the operational benefits of Gen AI, Zelnick added, “it allows our creators to use digital tools to expand what we do, to make it even more beautiful, and even more engaging, and even more exciting,” a far cry from what he has said in previous investor calls.
Rockstar Has “A Lot Of Other Things Going On”, Even Though We’ve Been Waiting 12 Years For GTA 6
GTA 6 isn’t the only game Rockstar is working on.
In October, Zelnick told investors, “There is no creativity that can exist by definition in any AI model, because it is data-driven,” adding that if creators were to make a fully Generative AI game, they “wouldn’t end up with anything very good. You [would] end up with something pretty derivative.” This is exactly what we’re seeing as Google begins to launch its Genie tool, designed to create game worlds with just a handful of prompts.
So What Does This Mean For GTA 6?
Thankfully, not a lot.
In a separate interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Zelnick once again shared how “On the topic of AI, I’ve been enthusiastic since the very beginning,” despite his previous comments, before assuaging any concerns Grand Theft Auto fans may have had about Gen AI creeping into their game.
“Specifically with regards to GTA 6, Generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building,” he said. “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.”
