Former Rockstar Tech Director: AI Clones Could Push GTA 6 PC Release Sooner

Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij thinks the growing ability of generative AI to produce rough, unofficial PC conversions could nudge Rockstar toward releasing an official Grand Theft Auto VI PC version earlier than many fans assume.

Why AI clones could change the timeline

In an interview with RockPaperShotgun, Vermeij explained that AI tools have transformed what hobbyists can attempt. He suggested that if he were at Rockstar, he would be worried about someone taking the PlayStation 5 build and using AI to convert it into a PC edition. That result would fall short of a proper developer port, but it might still eat into sales. Because of that, he would not be surprised if Rockstar tried to close the gap between console and computer releases.

Vermeij was careful to say he has no insight into Rockstar’s actual schedule. Still, given his technical background, he thinks generative AI is likely capable of pulling off such a port, at least in a rough form. He noted the process would not be quick or cheap. It would demand many hours of processing and a huge number of AI tokens, possibly costing five-figure token bills. But because the game is so popular, he believes people will try anyway.

The wider AI cloning problem

This is not just a hypothetical worry. Over the past few months, players have fed Grand Theft Auto VI trailer footage into AI software. Those clips have collected millions of views on social media, and some fans have used Nvidia features to “improve” the footage. Rockstar has already said the game will not include generative AI or microtransactions at launch.

Unofficial AI game clones remain a headache across the industry. Some studios have cancelled public demos out of fear that their ideas will be copied, while Valve has argued that developers should defend themselves by making their projects more original. Even with new protections from AI companies, other tools can still carry out the same work.

For players, this raises a simple question: if an AI-generated PC version appears before an official one, would you wait for Rockstar’s polished release, or would you try the unofficial version anyway?