The rise of generative AI may pressure Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive to release Grand Theft Auto VI on PC sooner than the expected window following its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launch. Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij suggested that the ease of using AI to port games or improve emulation could impact official sales.
Vermeij told Rock Paper Shotgun that he would be concerned if Rockstar faced unofficial ports created by users using AI to convert PlayStation 5 versions into PC versions. While he noted such unofficial efforts would not match the quality of an official release, he argued they could still hurt sales. He suggested this possibility might lead the studio to release official versions closer to the console launch.
Developing an AI-powered PC port for a complex production like GTA 6 would require significant resources. Vermeij stated that the process would take a long time and would likely cost tens of thousands of dollars in tokens to complete. Despite these high costs in time and money, Vermeij said, "if it's GTA, I think people are gonna try it."
Other motivations for unofficial PC ports include the desire to access features like NVIDIA DLSS 5 or to spite Sony following recent unpopular decisions by the company, such as the plan to sunset disc production in 2028. Such decisions have previously fueled the development of emulators and unofficial ports for games like Bloodborne.
However, the likelihood of the game being playable on PC immediately upon launch remains slim due to Sony's efforts to prevent game dumping through firmware updates. For now, players will likely be limited to playing the title on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S to access the full experience.
