GTA 6 owner praises use of artificial intelligence to create NPCs

In addition to making a bombshell announcement about GTA 6 this week, Take-Two also provided statements about a controversial topic: artificial intelligence (AI). The use of technology in game development is seen with optimism by Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive.

The executive of the conglomerate, which owns studios such as Rockstar Games (from the GTA and Red Dead Redemption franchises) and 2K Games (from NBA and WWE games), spoke about the subject during a conversation at the Paley International Council Summit conference. The event was held this Tuesday (7).

According to Zelnick, “everyone is working” on advances in the area and generative AIs should be used in future titles to improve fluidity in player interaction with NPCswhich can become more natural, complex and intelligent.

“You’re a playable character and you’re interacting with a non-playable character. That interaction is typically scripted and non-playable characters typically aren’t very interesting. We can imagine all the NPCs becoming really interesting and fun,” says the CEO.

GTA 6 will have AI NPCs?

Despite not directly confirming it, Zelnick’s speech at least indicates that Grand Theft Auto 6, the next game in the Rockstar franchise, could be one of the titles that will adopt this technology in NPCs.

GTA 6 will receive its first trailer in December.Source: Reproduction

At the same event, the executive confirmed that the game was in development — GTA 6 will have its first trailer released in December 2023, but has not yet been given a release date. The mere confirmation of the video has already caused Take-Two’s shares to soar on the stock market.

Furthermore, the topic is under debate after confirmation that partner or internal Xbox studios will have a series of AI tools available to create characters in games.

These automated generative AI platforms will be used to develop dialogue, responses to player commands or actions, and to generate side quests.

Calculated moves

At the same conference, the CEO of Take-Two said that he “gets scared all the time” because of the competition and that he is always under pressure in a project of such responsibility as a new GTA.

He further suggested that the industry was “too optimistic” during the Covid-19 pandemic, with expansions and some overspending now being reversed in the form of mass layoffs at studios.

Strauss Zelnick, CEO da Take-Two.Fonte:  LinkedIn

Zelnick also said that he considers the decision to adapt franchises from his studios as “a high risk action”which would explain the absence of film or TV projects for sagas like Red Dead Redemption, for example.