Ex-Rockstar technical lead Obbe Vermeij predicts AI will lower GTA 7's dev cost, but 'higher-level creative' roles won't be replaced

Time of India

08-07-2025

(Image via Getty Images)
Former Rockstar Games technical lead Obbe Vermeij has shared some thoughts on Grand Theft Auto 7's future. On a recent KIWI TALKZ's podcast, he talked about GTA 7 development cost and suggested it will be significantly cheaper than its predecessor, GTA 6.
He believes artificial intelligence would significantly alter how the next major entry gets built. His prediction points to reduced production costs that remain driven by AI, taking complete control of substantial workloads. However, the former tech lead firmly believes that core creative roles would remain irreplaceable by machines.
AI can play a role in cutting the GTA VII budget
Obbe Vermeij, who made his contribution to some landmark titles like GTA: Vice City and GTA IV, believes AI in game development would fundamentally change the production of future games, in just the next five years. He specifically highlighted labor-intensive tasks, including the construction of massive open-world maps and the generation of intricate cutscenes, to be AI automation's prime candidates. Such a shift, as per his argument, is inevitable, but some,
'higher-level creative'
roles like Designers, Art Directors and Writers wouldn't be replaced.
It will continue shaping the game's vision.
#191 - Obbe Vermeij Interview On The GTA Trilogy, GTA VI, Rockstar And His Indie Game Plentiful.....
The former technical lead of Rockstar Games has directly predicted that
"GTA 7 will be cheaper to make than GTA 6"
as many of the tasks would be
'taken over by AI.'
He envisions AI rapidly generating initial passes of characters, scenes, and even dialogues as per descriptions. Such automation, as per him, would handle the bulk of the work, quite potentially leading to some significant cost savings, as compared to the rumoured astronomical GTA 6 budget predictions.
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But we'll have to wait another 15 years to see what changes truly come in Rockstar Games future projects.
Human creativity in GTA titles will reign supreme
Despite the anticipated rise of AI in production pipelines, Vermeij didn't forget to draw a clear line at the creative direction. As he asserted, creative work would remain the domain of human writers and artists. To set a unique visual style of the game, crafting a compelling storyline, defining narrative tone, etc.,
are seen as inherent human tasks.
"I don't think AI will be doing the creative part,"
Vermeij stated, adding further,
"You're still gonna have artists setting the style and the look, and you're still gonna have writers writing the story. I don't think AI can do that."
While AI might generate the assets or some initial scene drafts as per prompts, vision, originality, and the emotional core would be dependent on human talent. Even programmers, too, would continue focusing on the higher-level systems, with AI handling some routine coding tasks. As per Vermeij, there's a potential upside to it all—cheaper development will allow for much more niche.
It will lead to experimental game settings beyond those usual blockbuster formulas.
Impact of AI on gaming
and its future
If Obbe Vermeij AI predictions hold true, AI can democratize game development. It will allow smaller studios to create some ambitious titles at a very low cost. Some experimental projects and niche games might flourish with production becoming much more efficient.
However, the industry will have to balance efficiency and creativity. While AI can definitely handle all repetitive tasks, the soul of GTA games is in human ingenuity—something which advanced algorithms cannot replicate. As of now, GTA 6 is the focus of Rockstar Games. But the insights from Vermeij give a glimpse into how tech might reshape the future of gaming.
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