During Take-Two Interactive Software’s Q2 2027 earnings call on November 9, 2026, CEO Strauss Zelnick fielded investor questions regarding the rising threat of artificial intelligence in game development, addressing concerns about AI-assisted reverse engineering, decompilation, and potential software piracy. Eurogamer reported that the executive assured stakeholders the company is actively enhancing its legal and technical defenses while maintaining that true creative hits remain the domain of human developers.
Investor anxiety has grown following a series of recent viral examples involving AI tools and video game clones, including instances where tools like Anthropic’s Claude were used to generate unauthorized playable ports and adaptations. In an interview with IGN, Zelnick emphasized that while the industry must remain vigilant, players ultimately desire the official, polished experience intended by developers rather than unofficial clones.
Technical Defenses and Legal Action
Addressing the risk of unauthorized ports—particularly concerning upcoming major titles like Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 6—Zelnick stated that Take-Two is not taking the threat lightly. He noted that while the video games industry has historically been largely protected by console architecture, file sizes, and online requirements, AI-driven compilation tools present new challenges.
“We are utterly focused on enhancing our technical defences and enhancing our legal activities appropriately,” Zelnick told investors during the call. He added that intellectual property protection is a shared responsibility across the technology sector, noting that AI firms should take proactive steps to prevent models from facilitating software cloning and copyright infringement.
Human Creativity and Market Realities
Beyond security and piracy concerns, investors questioned whether artificial intelligence could grant developers a competitive advantage in producing massive titles. Zelnick acknowledged that technology has always assisted development, making the creation of individual assets easier over time, but argued that software complexity and the difficulty of producing a major commercial hit remain unchanged.
“Making a big hit was hard then, and it’s hard now, and it’s going to be hard in the future,” Zelnick stated, reiterating his position that hit creation “remains the purview of human beings.” Alongside these discussions, management confirmed that pre-order figures for Grand Theft Auto 6 continue to track significantly above expectations ahead of its scheduled release across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms.