Ex-Rockstar director: AI port fears could speed up GTA VI on PC
Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij thinks vibe-coded PC ports might push Rockstar to ship its own version sooner. It's his opinion, not inside knowledge.
Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar North technical director, says Rockstar might rush a PC version of GTA VI because some nerd with an AI subscription could do it first. I kind of love how paranoid that is.
He told RockPaperShotgun he'd worry if he were Rockstar. Someone could take the PS5 version and have AI convert it for PC. It would be worse than the real thing, but it could still eat into sales. His words: "I wouldn't be surprised if there was an effort to get [the releases] a little bit closer together."
He thinks generative AI tools could "probably" pull it off. It would take hours and likely tens of thousands of dollars in tokens, so this isn't a weekend hobby. Protecting against clones? He doesn't see how, though a company like Take-Two could throw lawyers at it, and for a game this big the AI may not do a great job anyway.
GTA V took nearly two years to reach PC after its console launch. Strauss Zelnick has stayed vague on PC and told Bloomberg in May that Rockstar "always starts on console" to serve the core consumer first. Not exactly a company that panics.
What we don't know yet
In October, GamesBeat reported that Rockstar plans a PC release in the first quarter of 2027. Rockstar and Take-Two didn't comment, so that date is still a rumor. Vermeij himself says: "Obviously, I don't really know what they're thinking." This is an informed guess from a guy who left the building.
Still, if Rockstar needs a kick to get us a PC date, I'll take it. Just don't expect me to thank the clone makers.
