Obbe Vermeij, a former technical director at Rockstar, told the international media outlet “Rock Paper Shotgun” that he expects “the PC version of ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ (hereinafter ‘GTA 6’) to be released sooner than everyone thinks.”
Could this signal a shift for the “GTA” series, which has consistently released console versions first in recent installments?
Obbe Vermeij left Rockstar in 2009 and is currently working as an indie game developer. The reason he predicts that the PC version of “GTA 6” won’t be too far off is the existence of generative AI.In recent years, there have been attempts to use AI to analyze the code of existing games and port them to run on platforms they were not originally designed for.
It is said that Rockstar still holds the same mindset as back in the ‘GTA 3’ era—even now that the PC market has grown and caught up with the console market—since shifting to a strategy of releasing console versions first.
While many publishers prefer simultaneous releases of all versions to minimize PR efforts, the “GTA” series is an exception.Vermeij explains, “Because the titles are so massive, the logic [of saving on promotional costs through simultaneous releases] doesn’t really apply, so they’re probably sticking to the old way of doing things. From a development standpoint, it makes sense because it’s much easier to focus on one version at a time.”
The emergence of generative AI threatens to upend this situation entirely. Using AI-powered program analysis and porting tools, unofficial ports of console games can be created almost instantly.
“The world has truly changed,” Vermeij stated. “If I were at Rockstar, I’d be worried that someone might use AI to create an unofficial PC version of the PS5 edition of ‘GTA 6.’ It could also have a negative impact on sales. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if they moved to release the PC version even a little sooner.”
He also noted that while generating an unofficial PC version of *GTA 6*—a game that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and took eight years to complete—using generative AI would likely require tokens worth tens of thousands of dollars, he added, “Even so,for a title like ‘GTA 6,’ I think there will be people who actually try it,” he said, offering his own prediction.
Until now, plagiarizing major games created with enormous effort has been extremely difficult. However, Vermeij believes that unofficial replicas created using generative AI are a survival-level concern not only for small indie developers but also for giant corporations like Take-Two. He stated, “Honestly, I have no idea how to prevent it.It’s truly a new era,” he said, expressing the view that we have no choice but to watch how things unfold.
Regarding concerns about AI-generated game clones and jailbreaking console versions, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick also told IGN, “We don’t view this as a ‘threat’ in a financial sense, but rather as an issue related to creativity, and we certainly aren’t taking it lightly.” “Technology is advancing rapidly, and we’re addressing these concerns earnestly.At the same time, everyone surely wants the *GTA 6* experience exactly as Rockstar intended,” he said in an interview with IGN.
Regarding AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, CEO Zelnick also commented, “If you’re in the business of dealing with intellectual property, it seems ironic to expect your own IP to be protected while trampling on that of others.”
For reference, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of *GTA 5* were released in September 2013 (for international markets), and the PC version was released in April 2015.The PC version of *Red Dead Redemption 2* was released about a year after the console versions. The PC version of *GTA 6* might be released even sooner.
*Grand Theft Auto VI* is scheduled for release on November 19 for PS5 and XBOX Series X|S. The physical edition (with a code included in the box) is scheduled for release on November 12, and the game will be playable starting November 19.
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