In 2026, when the topic of AI has penetrated almost every industry, many players are wondering whether a super-large open world like “Grand Theft Auto VI” will use a lot of generative AI to build cities and characters? Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick gave the answer: It will not be used for game content, but it does help speed up development behind the scenes!
The world of GTA 6 is still “hand-made”
Zelnick emphasized in an interview that the world of “Grand Theft Auto VI” is completely “hand-made”, that is, from the map, streets to buildings, they are all designed step by step by the team, rather than automatically generated by generative AI.
He believes this is what sets Rockstar games apart from other open-world titles. The entire city is built from scratch, building by building and street by street, rather than randomly generated by a program. This method is the core of creating a high-quality entertainment experience.
This statement is actually a direct response to the doubts of players in recent years, because after the popularity of generative AI, many people began to worry that large-scale games in the future will rely heavily on AI-generated content, causing the world to become standardized or lack soul.
AI is useful, but only as a “tool”
But that doesn’t mean Take-Two doesn’t use AI at all. Zelnick said that the company has actually been using machine learning and AI technology for a long time, and now there are even “hundreds of experiments and implementation projects” underway internally.
The uses of these AIs are mainly focused on internal processes, such as accelerating development, reducing costs, improving production efficiency, etc. They are tool-level applications, rather than directly used to generate game screens, characters or plot content.
Generative AI saves time but doesn’t touch the core of creativity
Zelnick also admitted that generative AI tools have indeed helped the company save time and costs in some aspects, but these benefits are mainly reflected in the production process, rather than the final content presented to players.
He particularly emphasized that the creation of “Grand Theft Auto VI” is still built from scratch, rather than pieced together by algorithms. For Rockstar, the realism and detail density of the world are the most important core values of the brand.
The release time is still mainly based on the console version
At present, the launch time of the console version of “Grand Theft Auto VI” remains as planned. It was originally rumored to be launched in May, but is now locked on November 19. As for the PC version, there is still no official announcement timetable.
This work has always been one of the most anticipated large-scale games in the contemporary era. In addition, AI technology has exploded in the past few years, which naturally makes the outside world more curious about its production method. At least officially, Rockstar still chooses to build this world in the most traditional and labor-intensive way.