Take-Two to strengthen technical and legal protections amid threat of AI reverse engineering of GTA 6

• Zelnick called the threat of AI copying primarily a creative, rather than financial, one
• Take-Two says it is strengthening technical protections and legal measures
• The possibility of an unofficial PC port of GTA 6 depends in part on future PS5 exploits and has not yet been confirmed

Why Take-Two sees the threat as primarily creative

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented on concerns about AI tools that could help copy games or analyze their software structure. For the company, this is less about direct financial damage and more about the risk of losing control over how players experience Rockstar’s games as intended. Zelnick emphasized that the publisher is closely monitoring the issue and is not taking it lightly, especially ahead of GTA 6’s release.

The distinction between a financial threat and a creative one is important for understanding the executive’s position. Zelnick did not claim that potential piracy would have no effect on the business; he said he does not consider it primarily a financial problem. In his view, an unofficial copy may not reproduce the full experience Rockstar creates for players. At the same time, the company intends to protect its intellectual property, and the scale of piracy’s future impact cannot yet be determined.

In an interview with IGN, Zelnick also commented on the actions of companies developing AI. In his view, intellectual property protections should apply both to model developers’ own creations and to those belonging to others. He called it contradictory for a company to expect its own intellectual property to be protected while allowing others’ work to be used without permission. This is a general position on the principle of protecting rights, not an announcement of a specific agreement or new rules for AI services.

Game copies and the question of an unofficial GTA 6 port

The discussion was prompted by examples of AI being used to create game clones or bring familiar games to unusual formats. The article mentions Minecraft, which can be played within X, and a modders’ experiment combining Minecraft with Elden Ring. Grand Theft Auto 5 was also briefly playable in a browser before being taken offline. These cases show the range of experiments taking place, but they do not in themselves prove that GTA 6 has already been decompiled.

At the heart of these concerns is the possibility of an unofficial PC launch of GTA 6 shortly after its release on PlayStation and Xbox. Players and observers are discussing whether modern models could speed up the decompilation or reconstruction of a complex console game. However, the article emphasizes that the actual extent of this threat is questionable. It provides neither confirmation of a ready-made GTA 6 port nor evidence that AI can quickly create a complete PC version of the game.

Earlier, former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij suggested that the company might want to release the PC version of GTA 6 as soon as possible because of the spread of AI clones and ports. This is the opinion of a former employee, not an announcement from Rockstar about its schedule or a change in plans. The issue has become more pressing because of the risk of console hacking: if hacked firmware proves compatible with the game, it could potentially make piracy on PS5 easier and lead to the game subsequently appearing on PC.

PlayStation 5 security remains a separate line of defense

Another distinct thread in the discussion is the community’s attempts to hack PlayStation 5 software and Sony’s updates in response. The article says a jailbreak for consoles running firmware versions 7.00 to 13.60 was released in late September. At the time, this also affected the PS5 Pro, provided the console had not been updated during the previous week. Such a hack allows the device to be modified and could potentially pave the way for piracy, but it does not mean that a pirated version of GTA 6 already exists.

Some PS5 games then required firmware version 14.00 to download updates, and the community renewed its efforts to find a way to hack the new system version. This is described as a recurring cycle: Sony releases a security update, members of the homebrew scene try to bypass the protections, and later return to the task after the next update. This dynamic matters to publishers because platform security affects how difficult it is to distribute unauthorized copies of console games.

The exact firmware required for GTA 6 has not been confirmed. The article presents speculation that the game may require at least version 14.20 or possibly 14.22. It also allows for the possibility that Sony will release additional security updates before November 19. These possibilities should not be treated as announced game requirements or as a confirmed Sony plan. The connection between the upcoming release, console updates, and the risk of hacking therefore remains a scenario, not an established fact.

Technical measures and the publisher’s legal response

Asked about Take-Two’s practical steps, Zelnick said the company is focused on strengthening its technical protections and taking appropriate legal measures. He said that the large size of files, the difficulty of copying them, and games’ connections to servers have long helped curb piracy in the gaming industry. He acknowledged that the situation could become more complicated, but believes it is manageable. The executive did not name any specific new technologies, lawsuits, or plans involving individual AI models.

A legal response may become part of an industry-wide reaction, but the article does not list any lawsuits already filed or warnings sent by Take-Two. Nightdive Studios head Stephen Kick said lawyers at major publishers are likely having to figure out what measures to use and how companies should account for AI cloning. His remarks describe questions and a possible burden on legal teams, but do not confirm that any specific publishers have already chosen a particular strategy or achieved results.

For players, the practical question is whether the official release can offer an experience that is hard to replicate with an unofficial copy, and how effectively the platform will prevent circumvention. Zelnick expects audiences to prefer playing the game as Rockstar intended, but that is his assessment, not a guarantee of how buyers will behave. The scale of potential AI piracy, GTA 6's firmware requirements, and the results of future protection measures are still unknown. Take-Two says it will address the problem without claiming it can be eliminated entirely.

Source: IGN