Summary
Grand Theft Auto 6is not at risk of being delayed because of the 2024 game actors strike, Take-Two Interactive said.GTA 6is hence still targeting a late 2025 release.
On July 25, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced a strike action targeting some of the biggest game developers in the United States. The union representing over 2,500 games industry performers said it opted for the move after being unable to reach an agreement over usage ofgenerative artificial intelligence technologies.
GTA 6 Is Exempt From 2024 SAG-AFTRA Strike
And while the job action threatens to stop multiple AAA productions, the next entry in theGrand Theft Autofranchise reportedly isn’t part of that group, with Kotakureportingthat the much-anticipated game has been exempt from the strike, citing a statement from a Take-Two Interactive spokesperson. The official did not elaborate on the specifics of howtheGTA 6publishermanaged to negotiate this exemption, although its very existence suggests that the company found some common ground with the union over its future approach to generative AI solutions.
The contentious issue at the root of the strike comes down to the specifics of how game developers should compensate actors for using AI to recreate their performances. Stronger AI protections for performers were one of the 25 demands thatSAG-AFTRA communicated after setting its sights on the video game industryin 2023. The union has already reached an agreement with the ten groups it is negotiating with over the remaining 24 issues.
As things stand right now, the strike is targeting ten companies: Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, VoiceWorks Productions, WB Games, and Take 2 Productions, which is not affiliated with Take-Two Interactive. SAG-AFTRA members had already authorized the strike via a preliminary vote in September 2023, opting to stage a walkout should one be necessary during the negotiations.
Shortly thereafter, Take-Two Interactive offered assurances to investors thatGTA 6would be unimpeded by any and all labor issues, with CEO Strauss Zelnick describing the project as “completely protected” from the then-potential strike. The company’s newly released statement thus essentially reiterates that 2023 pledge. And while this turn of events lowers the chances of aGTA 6delay, such an outcome is still within the realm of possibility. That’s largely because every AAA title that Rockstar released in the 21st century faced at least one major postponement prior to hitting the market.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
