Take-Two, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto 6, appears to have laid off its head of AI as well as other of the department’s employees
Take-Two, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto 6, appears to have laid off its head of AI as well as other of the department’s employees
Perhaps an indication that a bubble is about to burst.
Take-Two, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto, appears to have laid off some employees this week. As reported by Game Developer, the company’s head of AI, Luke Dicken, posted on his personal LinkedIn site that he and an unknown number of his team members had been let go.
“It’s truly disappointing that I have to share with you that my time with T2 – and that of my team – has come to an end,” Dicken writes. Over the next week or so, I’ll share a more thoughtful reflection on my experience with Zynga and T2, but for now I’d like to say appreciate your help in finding these awesome talented folks new positions – especially in the current climate.
” Dicken also mentioned that the team had been “developing cutting edge technology to support game development now for 7 years.” Several other team members have also declared their departure.
Dicken appears to have worked for Zynga (which was acquired by Take-Two in 2022), with his most recent position as senior director of applied AI before joining Take-Two to lead their AI group.
Last month, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick talked adversely about the use of generative AI tools, focusing on how their use does not ensure successful games rather than outright condemning them.
“These tools may help you create assets, but they will not help you create hits,” he stated at the time. “There are so many assets out there now. It makes no difference if you click a button to produce an asset or it takes six weeks; at the end of the day, you have an asset. Every year, many of mobile games are released, but only a few become successful.”
Perhaps what’s stranger is that Zelnick only mentioned his enthusiasm for generative AI in February, emphasizing the company’s position as a leader in the space.
It is unclear why these layoffs occurred at Take-Two. Last month, OpenAI shut down its AI video production app Sora, resulting in the collapse of a $1 billion collaboration with Disney. Perhaps the big wigs at the GTA publisher can see that the AI bubble is ready to burst, but this move does not necessarily mean the end of AI at Take-Two-owned companies.