Former Rockstar Dev Says GTA 7 Could Be Cheaper to Make Than GTA 6 — Thanks to AI

Image via Rockstar Games

GTA 6 might be one of the most expensive games ever made, but according to a former Rockstar Games developer, its successor might not carry the same massive price tag. And no, it’s not because Rockstar will suddenly start cutting corners—but rather because artificial intelligence could do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Obbe Vermeij, who served as a technical director at Rockstar during the development of iconic titles like Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV, recently appeared on the KIWI TALKZ podcast. During the interview, he opened up about his time at the company and where he sees the future of game development heading. His big prediction? GTA 7 will likely cost less to make than GTA 6—largely due to AI stepping in to handle many of the tasks that currently eat up time and money.

“My prediction is GTA 7 will be cheaper to make than GTA 6,” Vermeij said. “We’ll have to wait 15 years to see if I’m right or not.” He’s not just guessing either—his view is based on how quickly AI is advancing behind the scenes.

According to him, much of the work that goes into building massive open-world environments, animating cutscenes, and creating background assets could be automated in the near future. Artists might find that some of their more repetitive tasks—like filling in city blocks or animating standard character interactions—can be handled by AI tools.

“Say you do a cutscene,” Vermeij explained. “All the characters could just be rendered by an AI, including the conversation, if you just describe the scene. That could be your first pass at a cutscene.”

Of course, he made it clear that human creativity isn’t going anywhere. Artists and writers will still be crucial when it comes to designing the world’s look and crafting compelling stories. But the bulk of the work? That might get handed off to machines.

Vermeij also pointed out how programming roles have already been shrinking. In earlier days, programmers made up about a third of the development team. Now, thanks to modern engines and automation, that number has dropped to around 10–15%. And with AI entering the picture, even more of that work could be streamlined.

He’s hopeful about where all this is heading. Instead of just making bigger and more expensive games, Vermeij believes cheaper production could open the door to more unique, niche titles. Imagine games about forgotten historical battles, scientific legends like Einstein, or even smaller-scale sci-fi adventures—things studios might normally pass on due to budget concerns.

“If you can make games cheaper, you can have more niche settings, and I think that would be much more interesting for gamers,” he added.

So while GTA 6 is poised to be the biggest—and priciest—game ever when it launches in May 2026, its successor might take a different route. AI could reshape how these massive games are made, saving time, reducing costs, and maybe even giving us more creative experiences in the long run.