GTA 6 publisher Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on whether a smaller team with AI tools can create hits like GTA: Lots of people including ex-Rockstar employees have tried and so far…

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick thinks artificial intelligence (AI) is not enough to create hits like GTA. As AI continues to reshape discussions around game development, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has pushed back against the idea that these tools alone can help small teams create blockbuster games on the scale of GTA. Speaking during an investor meeting, the chief executive of GTA 6 developer Rockstar’s parent company responded to a suggestion that advances in AI could allow a team of just a few developers to create a game comparable to GTA. While acknowledging the growing role of technology in development, he argued that access to AI tools does not automatically translate into the creation of commercially successful games.Zelnick also pointed to the challenge of replicating Rockstar Games' success, the studio behind franchises such as Grand Theft Auto VI, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2. He said, "The folks at Rockstar seem to be able to make these massive hits, and lots of other people have tried. Lots and lots including former Rockstar employees—and so far they haven't been able to do it."While he did not name any studio, the comments come amid industry discussions about projects led by former Rockstar developers seeking to establish new franchises outside the company. However, Zelnick stressed that past success does not guarantee future results.“Issue with the idea that 'therefore they will make a hit that's as big as GTA, and there's zero evidence for that. Doesn't mean they can't in the future, by the way, we're always running scared. It won't be technology that changes the game. That won't be the change. What'll change is that some extraordinarily creative individual or individuals are gonna show up and do something astonishing,” Zelnick added.The comments come as AI-generated content and development tools are increasingly promoted as ways to reduce production costs and development timelines across the gaming industry.According to Zelnick, technological advancements alone do not create a competitive advantage because the same tools are available to everyone. He noted, "Making hits seems to get harder and harder and harder as entertainment industries mature, we do not have a monopoly on hit creation … Arrogance is the enemy of continued success. I don't believe for a minute that technological advances give someone else an edge or give us an edge."He added that AI products are becoming widely accessible rather than exclusive. Zelnick explained, "It's just the toolset, it's available to everyone. The key thing is that all of this is gonna be totally commoditised. Show me one AI company—just one—who's offering their services or products to companies on an exclusive basis. They don't exist. So when that executive has that button to push, I'll have the same damn button.”Zelnick's remarks suggest that while AI may improve efficiency, the technology itself is unlikely to become the deciding factor behind the industry's biggest successes. He said Take-Two's long-term strategy remains focused on attracting creative talent rather than relying on technological advantages."Our goal is to get those people to work within the Take-Two system, if we fail to do that? We fail. If we continue to be the home of creativity, the company that welcomes and encourages and supports and finances the best talent in the business, then the rest will take care of itself,” Zelnick highlighted.