Take-Two’s CEO Raises An IP Concern About AI Game Clones

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Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said AI companies should protect other people’s intellectual property as well as their own, in a November 9 interview about tools that can be used to recreate video games. Asked about Anthropic’s restriction on recreating specific existing games and whether OpenAI should adopt a similar rule, Zelnick called the situation ironic for companies in the intellectual-property business. He did not name a cloned Take-Two game or identify a specific act by either company.

Zelnick spoke with IGN managing editor Wesley Yin-Poole by phone. The interview was published the evening Take-Two reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2026. Asked whether AI-assisted game cloning posed a threat to the business, Zelnick said, “I don’t think it’s a financial matter” but added that he did see a creative concern. He said Take-Two wants to deliver the experience Rockstar envisions and protects its intellectual property.

In a follow-up question, Yin-Poole referred to Anthropic’s steps to limit Claude from recreating games and asked whether Zelnick wanted OpenAI to do the same. Zelnick replied that “all companies should be protecting intellectual property, their own and everyone else’s.” He said it seemed ironic for companies that deal in intellectual property to “stomp on someone else’s IP and hope that yours is protected.” The answer did not specify whether he meant user-created outputs, the way AI models were trained, or another practice.

Anthropic’s Claude Code instructions, in a version published November 2, tell the model not to create a recreation of a specific existing game using its name, characters, art, music, levels or look, even if the work is renamed or described as original. OpenAI’s usage policies prohibit attempts to infringe others’ intellectual-property rights. The supplied source reports no comparable game-specific instruction in the open-source code of OpenAI’s Codex CLI. Those policy details are distinct from Zelnick’s broader remarks.

The Creative Stakes of Game Cloning

Zelnick’s distinction between financial exposure and creative harm frames the concern as more than lost sales. A game recreation could raise questions about control over a studio’s characters, visual style, music and level design, even if it does not directly replace a commercial release. His comments also place responsibility on AI providers to set limits on what their tools help users produce.

For players and developers, the practical issue is whether rules written in company policies meaningfully restrict game imitations and how those rules are applied. A policy against infringement does not by itself establish that a particular output violates the law, nor does Zelnick’s general criticism establish that Anthropic or OpenAI has infringed Take-Two’s rights. His public comments leave the potential conflict at the level of principle rather than a specific dispute.

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The Interview and AI Rules

The remarks came amid questions about AI-assisted piracy and the possibility of unauthorized copies of Grand Theft Auto VI. In the IGN interview, Zelnick said Take-Two was not “cavalier” about protecting its intellectual property, while saying he did not view the issue as a financial threat to the company. The follow-up focused on Anthropic’s rule and whether other AI firms should take similar steps.

On Take-Two’s earnings call the same day, Zelnick said piracy would become “more of a challenge” and said the company was enhancing technical defenses and legal activity. He also said technical limitations had historically made it difficult to replicate the intended experience of its games. These comments address piracy more broadly; they do not confirm that a specific Take-Two title has been cloned using an AI model.

“I think all companies should be protecting intellectual property, their own and everyone else’s.”

— Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO, speaking to IGN

No Specific Clone or Case Identified

The interview did not establish that any Take-Two game had been recreated with Claude, ChatGPT or another AI tool. Zelnick did not name a product, user, legal claim or incident, and he did not define what conduct he meant by “stomp on someone else’s IP.” The available account also does not show whether his criticism concerned generated content, model development or both.

It remains unclear how Anthropic applies its game-specific instruction in practice or how often it blocks requests. The source reports no public response from Anthropic or OpenAI to Zelnick’s remarks as of 21:30 UTC on November 14. The companies’ written policies provide context but do not resolve whether any particular use infringes copyright or other rights.

Policy Responses and Piracy Defenses

The next developments to watch are whether Anthropic or OpenAI responds publicly, changes its guidance, or provides more detail about enforcement. Take-Two has said it is strengthening its technical defenses and legal activity as piracy becomes more challenging, but the source provides no timetable or description of specific measures.

Any concrete dispute would require evidence about a particular game, AI system and use, rather than relying on the general exchange in the interview. Until then, Zelnick’s comments are best understood as a broad call for reciprocal intellectual-property protection, not an allegation that either AI company has cloned a Take-Two title.

Key Questions

What did Take-Two’s CEO say about AI companies and game IP?

Strauss Zelnick said companies should protect their own and others’ intellectual property. He described game cloning as a creative concern, not a financial threat to Take-Two.

Did Zelnick accuse Anthropic or OpenAI of cloning a Take-Two game?

No specific accusation was made. He did not identify a cloned game, a user or a particular act by either company. The companies’ names were raised in the interviewer’s question.

What restriction did Anthropic add to Claude Code?

The source says Claude Code instructions published November 2 direct the model not to recreate a specific existing game using elements such as its characters, art, music, levels or look, even if the result is renamed or called original.

Does OpenAI have the same game-specific rule?

OpenAI’s usage policies prohibit attempts to infringe others’ intellectual-property rights. The source reports that it found no game-specific instruction in the open-source code of OpenAI’s Codex CLI; that does not establish what guidance may exist elsewhere.

What remains unresolved?

No specific game-cloning incident involving Take-Two was identified. It is also unclear what conduct Zelnick meant by his criticism, how the companies enforce their rules, and whether Anthropic or OpenAI will respond publicly.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com