In a recent post on social media, the former Head of AI at Take-Two Interactive revealed they’d been laid off by the firm. The company, which is the parent organization of GTA 6 developer Rockstar, has reportedly made a major shake-up in the AI department, laying off an unknown number of employees.
This news comes mere months ahead of the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, widely anticipated and thought of by many as the most important game ever made.
‘It’s Truly Disappointing’
In a post on LinkedIn, Luke Dicken, former Head of AI at Take-Two Interactive, wrote:
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.
I will take the time in a week or so to make a more reflective post on my time with Zynga and T2, but for right now I would appreciate your help in finding these awesome talented folks new positions…We’ve been developing cutting edge technology to support game development now for 7 years. These folks know how to match innovation and novel problem solving approaches with strong product design chops to create systems that empower people throughout the development workflow.
It’s not clear how many people were in Luke’s team, or why Take-Two Interactive has opted to let them go from their positions, but it’s an indication of a scaling back of AI development at the titan company.
This isn’t the first time Take-Two has made layoffs in recent years. As the wider industry adjusted in 2024, the company laid off five percent of its workforce and called off some developing projects, all in the name of financial efficiency.
Recently, the CEO of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, went on record stating that artificial intelligence could never produce a game like GTA 6, and he has regularly spoken in favor of human development.
Are you surprised that Take-Two has made this major change? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that The Last of Us Online was so close to being revealed
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
They stopping using it in the 2K games? The usual suspects the leftists not crying over innocent workers losing their jobs like they usually do gevause now it fits what they want? Funny most are not attacking Taylor Lorenz for her using AI. But guess this means 10 year waits for RDR3 and GTA7 my guess 10 for RDR and 20 for GTA7 if gaming can survive that