Rockstar Games’ long-awaited follow-up to GTA 5, Grand Theft Auto 6, will launch in November. Rockstar parent company Take-Two reiterated its publishing plans this week and said marketing for the game will begin this summer. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has also now confirmed that GTA 6 will not feature any generative AI.
Ahead of Take-Two’s fiscal 2026 third-quarter earnings call, Zelnick spoke with GamesIndustry.biz about the company’s policies regarding the use of artificial intelligence. Take-Two boss stressed that Take-Two and its subsidiaries use artificial intelligence in productivity tools, not in creative output. Zelnick said he did not see artificial intelligence as a threat but had been “passionate” about the technology from the beginning.
“This company’s products have always been built with machine learning and artificial intelligence. In fact, we have been a leader in this field, and we currently have hundreds of pilot and implementation projects in our company, including within our studio. We are already seeing instances where generative AI tools are improving cost and time efficiencies,” the executive said.
Rockstar’s GTA 6 “Handmade”
However, Zelnick noted that generative AI can never replace human creativity and confirmed that all content in GTA 6 was handcrafted by Rockstar developers.
“That said, do I think the tools themselves can create great entertainment properties? No, there’s no evidence that’s the case, and that won’t be the case in the future. Specifically with GTA 6, generative AI is a zero percent share of what Rockstar Games is developing.
“Their worlds are handcrafted. That’s what makes them special. They’re built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, block by block. They’re not procedurally generated, nor should they be. That’s what makes great entertainment.”
This isn’t the first time Zelnick has commented on artificial intelligence and its capabilities in game development. Back in October last year, Take-Two’s CEO said that AI would have “limited” impact on game development because AI models lacked “creativity.”
“Assume there are no restrictions [on AI]. Can we push a button tomorrow and create a marketing plan similar to Grand Theft Auto? “Zelnick said in an interview at the time. “The answer is no. A, you can’t do this yet, and B, I don’t think you’ll get any good results in the end. You end up with something quite derivative. “
Artificial Intelligence in Game Development
Despite skepticism about generative AI in game development, several companies have admitted to using the technology to speed up development times and reduce costs. Despite the backlash against using generative AI when creating game assets, concept art, text or other in-game content, studios like Baldur’s Gate 3 maker Larian and Arc Raiders developer Embark have admitted to using AI tools in their processes.
In December, Larian faced backlash from gamers after confirming the use of artificial intelligence in the game’s development process, including concept art. Later, the studio backtracked and said it would not use any GenAI art in its next game, Divinity. However, Larion CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that the studio will continue to use AI to help “refine ideas faster” and deliver “higher quality games.”
Earlier this week, Take-Two reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings and reiterated a November 19, 2026 release date for Grand Theft Auto 6. During the earnings call, Zelnick announced that GTA 6’s launch marketing campaign will begin “this summer.” He also denied rumors that Take-Two plans to delay the physical release of GTA 6 to avoid early leaks.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is confirmed to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on November 19th.
