“AI can’t create hits”: Take-Two CEO on why GTA 6 needs human creativity

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has said that AI can help game developers in some parts of the process, but it cannot create hit games on its own. In an interview with The Game Business, Zelnick said tools like generative AI may help teams create assets faster, but that does not mean they can build successful titles at the level of major franchises.

AI can help with assets, not the full game

Zelnick said AI tools can improve efficiency, especially when it comes to asset creation. But he made it clear that creating an asset is only one part of making a game. According to him, whether an asset is made in a few seconds using AI or takes weeks through a traditional workflow, it is still just one piece of a much bigger process.

He added that successful games are not built only on how quickly assets are produced. Thousands of games release every year, but only a small number become major hits. In the same interview, Zelnick said the idea that someone could simply use AI tools to generate a blockbuster game and sell it to millions of players is not realistic.

GTA 6 and similar games still need human work

During the interview, Zelnick was also asked whether AI tools could make it easier to build large-scale games like Grand Theft Auto VI. He dismissed that idea and said projects of that size still depend on human creativity, human judgment and human engagement.

This is in line with comments he has made earlier as well. Zelnick had previously said that Rockstar’s work on GTA 6 is being done by developers and that generative AI is not involved in the game’s creation.

Comments come amid wider AI debate in gaming

His remarks come at a time when AI remains a divisive topic in the gaming industry. NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 has also drawn criticism from some gamers after its showing at GTC 2026. At the same time, some studios have come under attention over how generative AI tools are being used in game development, especially in cases where that use was not clearly disclosed.

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While publishers and studios are exploring more AI-based tools, Zelnick’s comments suggest that Take-Two still sees these systems as support tools rather than something that can replace the people making the games.