Take-Two has reportedly laid off employees from its AI team, just months after the company expressed strong support for AI technology.
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games (GTA 6 developer) has reportedly laid off its head of AI, along with several team members involved in the division. One affected employee cited “shifting priorities from upper management” as the reason behind the decision.
The news surfaced after Luke Dicken, former head of AI at Take-Two, shared a statement on LinkedIn expressing his disappointment.
“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,” he wrote, also naming impacted team members in an effort to help them find new opportunities.
Dicken previously served as a senior director of AI at mobile company powerhouse Zynga, also a Take-Two subsidiary, before stepping into the role of head of AI at the parent company early last year.
Reflecting on the team’s work, Dicken added:
“We’ve been developing cutting-edge technology to support game development for seven years. These individuals know how to combine innovation and novel problem-solving approaches with strong product design expertise to create systems that empower teams throughout the development workflow.”
Why did Take-Two remove AI division employees?
Jason Leon, the former senior director of AI development at Take-Two, followed up on LinkedIn by confirming that the layoffs were the result of “shifting priorities from upper management”.
If you’ve been following the wave of mass layoffs, this reasoning will sound familiar. The gaming industry has seen widespread cost-cutting measures, with major companies such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Riot Games, and most recently, Epic Games, all implementing workforce reductions in recent months.
What is Take-Two’s stance on AI technology?
However, the timing for Take-Two's lay offs feels somewhat ironic. The removal of AI-focused employees come just two months after Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick publicly stated that the company is “actively embracing AI”.
Speaking during an investor call, Zelnick expressed strong optimism about the technology:
“The video game business, since its inception, was built on the back of machine learning and artificial intelligence. We create our games using computers and technology, and ever since questions began about generative AI about 18 months ago, I’ve been incredibly enthusiastic about what the future can bring.”
