Just months before the most anticipated game in history launches, Take Two Interactive has quietly gutted its AI department, and the news came straight from the top.
Luke Dicken, Take-Two’s former Head of AI, broke the news himself on LinkedIn. He confirmed that not only was he let go, but his whole team was cut alongside him. “It’s truly disappointing,” he wrote, before asking his network to help his former colleagues find new roles. The team had spent seven years building tools designed to support developers throughout the production process.
The number of employees affected hasn’t been disclosed, and Take Two hasn’t offered a public explanation for the decision.
Take Two’s pattern of cutbacks
This isn’t an isolated incident. Back in 2024, Take Two laid off five percent of its global workforce and shelved several projects as part of a broader push for financial efficiency, a move that mirrored cost-cutting trends across the wider games industry at the time.
What makes this latest shake-up particularly eyebrow-raising is the timing. GTA 6 is on the horizon, and CEO Strauss Zelnick has been vocally bullish on human-led development, previously going on record to say AI could never produce something like GTA 6.
Whether this signals a philosophical shift or simply a restructuring, losing an entire AI team this close to launch is a bold move even for Take Two.
For the latest updates like this, check out the gaming news section!