Zelnick tells the WSJ that GTA is handcrafted and Take-Two is more than one hit

Take-Two Interactive chief executive Strauss Zelnick spoke with the Wall Street Journal at a tech conference, in coverage published on 5 November 2026. Insider Gaming reported his comments on artificial intelligence, including that Grand Theft Auto is handcrafted while video games have long been made with computers, AI and machine learning. GTA Boom, writing up the same appearance, said that when asked about relying on one big hit he answered that Take-Two has 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million copies. Reported

• NextSensor Tower estimates GTA 6 preorders above $750 million, I5 Nov 2026 · IGN
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What Zelnick said about AI

Insider Gaming reported on 5 November 2026 that Zelnick sat down with the Wall Street Journal at a tech conference to discuss Take-Two and the coming release of Grand Theft Auto VI. After a question about the company's success, the conversation turned to artificial intelligence in game development. According to Insider Gaming, Zelnick said AI is a mixed term in the video game business because consumers do not want anything called AI involved with their games, then added that Grand Theft Auto is handcrafted — while it should not be a surprise that video games are created on computers with technology.

Insider Gaming also quoted him saying Take-Two has been in the AI and machine learning business "since the beginning of time," and that the company is trying everything it can to make better games more efficiently, with some confidence that this can occur using AI. The same write-up recalled earlier remarks: Insider Gaming said Zelnick argued earlier this year that the idea of artificial intelligence creating a hit game is laughable, and that in February he said generative AI had no part in the development of GTA 6. Those points are Insider Gaming's account of prior comments, not new lines from the WSJ session that we opened in full elsewhere.

“Grand Theft Auto is handcrafted, and that said, it should not come as a huge surprise to you that video games are created in computers with technology.”

Fifteen franchises, not only GTA 6

GTA Boom covered another stretch of the same appearance, placing Zelnick at WSJ Tech: California in Napa Valley on 4 November 2026. In that write-up, the interviewer noted that Take-Two's stock sat more than 20 percent below the record high it had reached earlier, despite GTA VI hype, and said there was a concern that "this is your big hit and that you don't have enough hits in your library."

GTA Boom quoted Zelnick answering: "We have 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million." It reported that he called that catalogue "the best collection of owned intellectual property in the video game business" and advised anyone worried to "examine the facts." Beyond Grand Theft Auto, GTA Boom said he pointed to Red Dead Redemption as "a massive title" that has "sold over 65 million," along with Red Dead Online and Grand Theft Auto Online. He named NBA 2K, which he called the second-biggest sports title worldwide and the biggest in North America, then WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands and Civilization. On mobile, GTA Boom wrote, he listed Words With Friends, Empires & Puzzles and Good Poker, before adding hundreds of other titles and calling it "a pretty good story."

GTA Boom also wrote that earlier in the same talk Zelnick declined to argue with the market, saying he would rather deliver on fundamentals than debate the share price. None of this is a Take-Two press release; it is conference-floor coverage from two outlets.

Why we label it Reported

The comments were made in a Wall Street Journal interview and reached us through Insider Gaming and GTA Boom, not through a Rockstar Newswire post or an official Take-Two transcript. We therefore label the story Reported. We have not treated Insider Gaming's own view of whether generative-AI art will appear in the game as a fact; the sourced lines are Zelnick's, as those outlets quoted or paraphrased them.

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on 19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Digital pre-loading starts on 10 November, per Rockstar. We opened the Insider Gaming and GTA Boom articles on 5 November 2026.

Tags: #Gameplay #Release date #Pre-orders

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FAQ

Did Strauss Zelnick say GTA 6 uses generative AI?

Insider Gaming reports that he said Grand Theft Auto is handcrafted, and that games are made with computers and technology. The outlet also recalled him saying in February that generative AI had no part in GTA 6's development. In the WSJ interview, he said Take-Two has long used AI and machine learning and is trying to make better games more efficiently.

What did Zelnick say about Take-Two depending on GTA 6?

According to GTA Boom's write-up of the WSJ interview, he said Take-Two has 15 franchises that have each sold at least 5 million copies, and he listed titles including Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, BioShock, Borderlands and Civilization.

When does GTA 6 launch?

19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.