GTA 6 publisher says AI could be "really interesting and fun" for games

Take Two’s Strauss Zelnick told the Paley International Council Summit how using generative AI could make games like GTA 6 even better.

The internet’s awash with all things Grand Theft Auto following the announcement from Rockstar’s Sam Houser that the GTA 6 reveal trailer is coming 6 December. So the gaming world was always going to prick its ears for Zelnick's comments. He didn’t disappoint.

As reported by Inverse, when Zelnick was asked about the potential of generative AI in game development he said: “It may be better, but it almost certainly will not be faster and cheaper."

One particular area of interest to Zelnick is using AI to craft better NPCs: “Everyone’s working on that. You’re a playable character, you’re interacting with the non-playable character. That interaction is currently scripted.

“And the non-playable characters are generally not very interesting. You could imagine all the NPCs becoming really interesting and fun.”

It’s important to note here that Zelnick isn’t talking specifically about adding these features to the upcoming GTA 6 - he’s making general comments about what this not-at-all frightening technology could do for games in a broader sense.

Separate to those comments at the Paley Summit, on Take-Two’s investor call one day later Zelnick said the development of GTA 6 is “completely protected” from delays, should SAG-AFTRA’s game voice actors strike (via IGN).

Zelnick said he’s optimistic that strike action won’t happen: "Negotiations are expected to resume next week. We're optimistic. We value all of our talent greatly. We value excellent labour relations, we're looking forward to reaching an agreement that serves everyone well."