adminLevel-5 generative AI use in a recent digital showcase prompted questions from viewers after footage promoting the studio’s games appeared to show signs of AI generation. President and CEO Akihiro Hino later confirmed that AI had been used in the presentation and apologized to fans who felt uncomfortable with the experiment.
Image credit: Level-5 / @Sara_Return
What Level-5 said about generative AI use
Hino explained that the studio experimented with AI to make the showcase feel more spectacular. The technology was used in material accompanying reveals related to the Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch series. After viewers raised concerns about the footage, Hino addressed the response on X/Twitter and expressed regret that the presentation had unsettled fans.
The distinction Level-5 made is between promotional presentation material and the games themselves. Hino said the company’s games are not created by AI, and described their distinctive appeal as coming from human work. For viewers, that distinction helps clarify the studio’s statement: the confirmed experiment concerned the showcase, not the creation of the featured games.
How AI fits into Level-5’s development workflow
According to Hino, Level-5’s use of AI is mainly intended to improve efficiency in specific production tasks. One example he gave was converting artwork into polygons. He did not describe AI as a replacement for the creative work involved in making the studio’s games.
The company has also discussed reducing the time needed to develop major releases, with a goal of moving from five years to two. Efficiency tools may help with parts of a workflow, but the statement does not establish that AI alone will achieve that target. Development schedules can depend on many production factors, so the goal should be understood as an ambition rather than a confirmed result.
Why the showcase drew a strong response
Generative AI in entertainment can raise questions about transparency, creative control and how promotional images or footage are produced. In this case, viewers identified material they believed was AI-generated before the studio confirmed its use. A clear explanation of where such tools appear can help audiences distinguish experimental marketing from the creative process behind a finished game.
A reported survey found that 61% of European game developers were concerned generative AI could increase pressure to work faster and produce more. Meanwhile, 35% thought AI might lead to job losses or reduced demand for their roles. These figures describe different concerns: increased workload and employment impact are related, but not identical issues.
What to take away from Level-5’s AI statement
Level-5 acknowledged using generative AI in a showcase, apologized for the reaction and said the games’ creative identity remains the work of people. Its comments also point to a narrower operational use for AI, such as artwork-to-polygon conversion. For fans following the studio, the key takeaway is to assess AI use by context: promotional content, production tools and finished game content are not necessarily the same thing. Level-5 generative AI use in this presentation was confirmed, while the studio said its games continue to be shaped by human creators.
