Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take Two, believes that generative AI is used for cost and time efficiency, not for building games. It’s been just a week since Google announced Project Genie, an AI tool that allows users to create explorable worlds using text descriptions and images, sending the stock prices of many game publishers, including Take Two, into a downward spiral. Zelnick definitely took note of this and thought the company needed to clarify its stance and use of AI. The CEO spoke to Gamesindustry.biz and shared that while machine learning has always been used, gaming worlds have always been handcrafted by humans.
“This company’s products have always been built using machine learning and artificial intelligence. In fact, we’ve always been a leader in this space and currently have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including within our studio.”
– Strauss Zelnick, Take Two CEO
Take Two executives further explain: Grand Theft Auto VI is painstakingly crafted by humans, not generative AI, and the technology cannot be created because it is simply data-driven. This statement comes as many criticize the use of generative AI to create art and other content in games. The gaming community pays close attention to how AI is used, whether it’s in marketing or as part of game development, and recognizes that there are pros and cons to its use.
“Having said that, do I think the tools themselves produce good entertainment? No, there is no evidence that is the case, and I doubt it will be in the future. Especially in G.T.A. When it comes to 6, there’s no generative AI involved at all in what Rockstar Games is building. That’s what sets them apart. They’re built from the ground up, building by building, neighborhood by neighborhood. They’re not procedurally generated, and that’s what makes them great entertainment.”
– Strauss Zelnick, Take Two CEO
It was a difficult road for the development of GTA6Rockstar’s release has seen several delays, but hopefully it will be able to stick to its current November 19, 2026 console release date. Zelnick is confident that will happen. Meanwhile, with the upcoming title expected to be not only one of the biggest releases of the past decade, but possibly the biggest release in video game history, many other AAA publishers are watching carefully to avoid releasing their titles too close to the release date. One such publisher, Microsoft, is rumored to be planning a number of its own releases, including: fable, haloand gears of war You can win the title throughout 2026 and possibly 2027, so you don’t have to compete directly in the same month. Grand Theft Auto VI.
“What I have always said and continue to say is that tools do not replace creativity, and tools are not projects, they are something else.”
– Strauss Zelnick, Take Two CEO
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