Summary
- Ex-Rockstar dev Obbe Vermeij predicts GTA 7 will be cheaper to make than GTA 6.
- He believes AI will automate much of the development process by then.
- GTA 6 launches May 26, 2026, with a reported $1 billion+ budget.
GTA 7 Could Be Cheaper Due to AI, Says Former Rockstar Dev
Former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij believes that GTA 7 could be cheaper to develop than GTA 6, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence.
In a new interview on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Vermeij shared that AI could take over some of the most labour-intensive parts of game creation, like map building and cutscene animation.
“Say you do a cutscene. All the characters in the cutscene could just be rendered by an AI, including the conversation, if you just describe the scene,” Vermeij said. While GTA 7 is likely many years away, he speculates that within five years, much of game development could shift to AI-driven tools. This shift, he claims, could lower the cost and effort required for large-scale games.
Even though Vermeij left Rockstar in 2009 after working on hits like Vice City and San Andreas, his insights still draw attention. He noted that although AI might take over repetitive tasks, creative roles—like writing stories and fine-tuning gameplay—will still need human hands.
GTA 6 Still the Most Expensive Game Ever
Vermeij’s comments come just as Rockstar confirmed that GTA 6 will now launch on May 26, 2026. The game has been delayed to allow more time for polishing, with the studio promising it will “exceed expectations.”
Despite rumours of a $2 billion budget, parent company Take-Two says the actual figure is closer to $1 billion.
GTA 6 is shaping up to be the most expensive video game ever made, with a scale and level of realism far surpassing anything the series has done before. However, Vermeij suggests that no future game may ever reach that scale in cost again, precisely because AI will change how games are made.
He even added, “I think there’s not gonna be a bigger game than GTA 6,” predicting that AI will handle large-scale asset creation in the near future, making such massive budgets unnecessary.
Fans Still Wary of AI in Game Development
While AI is already used in areas like pathfinding and procedural generation, fans often push back against the growing use of generative AI. Studios like 11 Bit were criticized for sneaking AI-generated text into games without proper disclosure.
Vermeij acknowledges this tension, emphasizing that while AI can help reduce costs, it still needs human creativity and oversight to make games truly special. Whether his predictions hold true, however, won’t be known for at least another decade.
