Take-Two Interactive Dissolves AI Division, Lays Off Head of AI and Team

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games and Zynga, has laid off its head of artificial intelligence (AI), Luke Dicken, along with an unspecified number of employees from its AI division. The layoffs were confirmed by Dicken via a LinkedIn post on April 17, 2026. Take-Two has declined to publicly comment on the personnel changes.

Details of the Layoffs

Dicken stated in his post that his time with Take-Two, and that of his team, had concluded. He noted that the team had been "developing cutting edge technology to support game development" for seven years, focusing on innovation, problem-solving, and creating systems to empower development workflows.

Several other team members confirmed their departures on social media, including a director of AI research, a senior manager of site reliability engineering (SRE), and two senior data scientists.

"Our team had been developing cutting edge technology to support game development for seven years."
— Luke Dicken, former Head of AI at Take-Two

Dicken assumed the role of Take-Two's head of AI in early 2025, having previously spent over a decade at Zynga, where he served as senior director of applied AI. A significant portion of the AI team also originated from Zynga. Take-Two acquired Zynga in 2022 for US$12.7 billion.

Dicken has since founded LuDic AI, a consulting service focused on the use of AI technologies in the gaming industry.

The total number of employees affected by the layoffs has not been disclosed.

Company's Public Statements on AI

The restructuring of the AI division follows a period of varied public statements from Take-Two leadership regarding the company's use of and stance on AI technology.

Cost Reduction and Efficiency

• In previous earnings calls, CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the company had "hundreds of AI pilots and implementations" across its studios.
• President Karl Slatoff indicated the company was "actively embracing" generative AI to "drive efficiencies" and "reduce costs."

Impact on Employment

"Generative AI will not reduce employment, it will increase employment."
— Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive

Zelnick has stated publicly that generative AI "will not reduce employment, it will increase employment," citing technology's historical role in boosting productivity and GDP.

Role of Human Creativity

Zelnick has consistently stated that AI is a tool for streamlining routine tasks and is unlikely to replace the human creativity essential for developing major titles like Grand Theft Auto. He has also stated that Grand Theft Auto VI would not feature AI-generated assets and that the game currently incorporates minimal AI usage.

Skepticism and Distancing

Zelnick drew parallels between generative AI and historical technologies like calculators, suggesting it would not fundamentally alter the entertainment business. Last month, Take-Two distanced itself from platforms like Google's Genie after its stock price was impacted by investor concerns about generative AI's potential to disrupt game development.

Broader Company Context

These layoffs follow recent staff changes at Take-Two. In November 2025, Rockstar Games reportedly dismissed employees suspected of leaking confidential information related to Grand Theft Auto VI.

Take-Two reported net bookings of $1.76 billion for the fiscal third quarter ending December 31, 2025. Zynga was a significant contributor to this performance, with its mobile title Toon Blast achieving 43 percent year-on-year growth and surpassing $3 billion in lifetime net bookings.

The company has scheduled the release of Grand Theft Auto VI for November 19, 2027.

Industry Context

Take-Two's decision to restructure its internal AI division contrasts with other major game companies, including Krafton, Square Enix, Capcom, and EA, which have publicly made significant investments in AI technology.

The broader industry continues to explore AI applications for game development, with some studios using AI for tasks such as generating non-player character (NPC) voices.