‘Grand Theft Auto’ Publisher Swaps DEI for ‘Diversity of Thought’ in Annual Report

Take-Two Interactive, the patient down Grand Theft Auto VI, is forgoing immoderate mention of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and promoting “diversity of thought" successful its latest yearly report.

The change, first spotted by Game File, is portion of nan company’s yearly 10-K report, which offers penetration into nan company’s business, financials, and consequence factors. In 2024, nan study included a robust conception astir DEI, expressing support for groups moving to “eradicate societal injustice,” LGBTQ+ rights, and number crippled creation students, and “celebrating taste differences” done worker groups.

In nan 2025 report, Take-Two only mentions diverseness successful 1 area: “We firmly judge that diverseness of thought drives nan invention that is integral to our success.” The study adds that nan institution intends “to supply an inclusive workplace successful which everyone feels respected, heard, and safe,” but does not see commitments to supply scholarships to number crippled creation students, which were made successful 2024.

“By empowering our colleagues to clasp an entrepreneurial mindset and to return calculated risks, we judge that we person created an situation wherever our group tin thrive,” nan study reads.

The move is portion of a growing trend of companies rolling back their DEI initiatives amid a crackdown connected thing perceived arsenic DEI by nan Trump administration.

DEI efforts successful nan video crippled manufacture person grown since nan early days of gaming, but it wasn’t until 2020 that awesome companies began to propulsion support down minority developers successful acknowledgement of greater systemic issues. After George Floyd was murdered by police, companies began to vocally support movements for illustration Black Lives Matter and pledged to help marginalized developers. As President Donald Trump has been cracking down connected DEI successful some nan nationalist and backstage sector, however, those efforts whitethorn now beryllium successful danger.

Reached by WIRED, a spokesperson for Take-Two declined to comment. The company’s website still includes a connection that says it believes “more divers teams are much valuable and effective. Diversity is cardinal to our success.”

DEI backlash, which has astir precocious dispersed crossed companies successful fields for illustration tech and retail, has a patient foothold successful gaming communities. Last year, an online harassment activity styling itself arsenic “Gamergate 2.0” attacked consultancy companies hired to supply guidance and proposal connected taste sensitivities and created lists that deemed moreover a whiff of anything non-white, cis-male, and heterosexual arsenic DEI. In modding communities, mods for games for illustration The Sims 4 are being created to region LGBT and Black non-player characters from nan game.

The connection successful Take-Two’s study echoes that of companies for illustration Meta, which said it would activity "cognitive diversity” successful its ain 10-K earlier this year, arsenic it ended its ain DEI programs.

The Entertainment Software Association, which organized nan now-defunct E3 and acts arsenic an advocator for nan video crippled manufacture among regulators and lawmakers, declined to remark astir nan effect of DEI rollbacks successful video games. Instead, a spokesperson directed WIRED to nan ESA’s "Inclusion & Belonging” page connected its website, which champions practice and that “the video crippled organization is immense and diverse.”