Former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij, who worked on variousGrand Theft Autotitles between 1995 and 2009, has said that the development ofGTA 7will likely be cheaper thanGTA 6thanks to the rising popularity of AI. WhileGrand Theft Auto 6isn’t even in the hands of gamers yet, Vermeij is already discussing what the development of its successor could look like, even if the title is likely another decade away from release.
WithGrand Theft Auto 5now nearly 12 years old, fans of the series have been patiently waiting for the next entry in the franchise. Although Rockstar Games initially revealedGrand Theft Auto 6all the way back in 2023, fans still have just under a year left to go until the highly anticipated title is in their hands.Grand Theft Auto 6was initially set to release in Fall 2025, but Rockstar Games recently made the tough decision to delay its launch to July 15, 2025, to allow the studio more time to polish things up. In a statement on social media, Rockstar said the goal is to “exceed expectations,” which is whyGrand Theft Auto 6was delayedto provide players with the level of quality expected from the studio.
Rumors surroundingGrand Theft Auto 6’s ludicrous $2 billion budgethave been circulating ever since the infamous leaks of 2022, but Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, recently shut those claims down. The title’s budget is still currently around the $1 billion mark, according to Take-Two, but former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij actually believes the game’s successor could be cheaper to create thanks to the use of AI. In a new interview withKiwi Talkz(viaDexerto), Vermeij said that certain elements, such as map creation and cutscenes, will be “taken over by AI” within the next five or so years. “My prediction isGTA 7will be cheaper to make thanGTA 6,” the former Rockstar dev said.
GTA 7 Could Be Made With AI, Former Dev Says
Admittedly, it’s going to be an extremely long time before Vermeij’s theory is proven to be true. But the developer does speculate that the “bulk of the work is probably going to be replaced” by the likes of AI. “Say you do a cut scene. All the characters in the cut scene could just be rendered by an AI, including the conversation, if you just describe the scene,” he says. However, Vermeij does admit that there will still be artists who do “tons of higher-level creative stuff” and also developers to fix glitches and bugs. He also notes that there will likely still be developers who write the story and work on the more creative side of the game.
While AI is becoming increasingly popular in the gaming world, fans often take a less-than-favorable view of it. It’s worth noting that AI has been used in the development process of games for many years, but the rising use of generative AI has caused a lot of controversy in recent years. 11 Bit Studios, for example, recently found itself in hot water with players for not disclosing theuse of generative AI inThe Alters. The studio went on to apologize to fans and claimed that the AI-generated text was used as a placeholder and was not meant to make it into the final version of the game.
Of course, Vermeij’s comments are merely speculation, as the developer left Rockstar Games back in 2009 after the launch ofGrand Theft Auto 4. There’s also the possibility that Rockstar opts to focus on some of its other IPs after the launch ofGrand Theft Auto 6,such as a potential sequel toBullyor a third instalment in theRed Dead Redemptionseries. For now, all eyes are onGrand Theft Auto 6, which launches for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on July 17, 2025.
