If you’ve been wondering how Level 5 has so many games in development despite suffering studio closures and financial difficulties only a few short years ago, you may not be too thrilled to learn the answer. CEO Akihiro Hino has not been shy about the studio’s use of generative AI to develop its upcoming games, even following backlash to its latest Level 5 Visions event, where he apologized to fans for its use, but claimed that it was to make the event “more spectacular.”
Akihiro Hino Responds To Criticism of Generative AI Use in Level 5 Visions Showcase
It wasn’t long after the airing of its newest Level 5 Visions showcase that fans noticed that multiple games, and even the animation of Hino’s on-screen avatar itself, exhibited visual characteristics often associated with generative AI video. Even a shot of Yo-kai Watch 2’s protagonist looked markedly different from an asset featured in a Nintendo Direct just a day prior.
In response, Akihiro Hino took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the criticisms. His statement reads (via Eurogamer) “It was entirely due to the desire to make the presentation more spectacular that we incorporated processing that also served as an experiment using the latest AI. It appears that some people felt uncomfortable about this, so I deeply apologise.”
“However, at our company, the parts that relate to the charm and individuality of the released works – such as scenarios, character designs, and basic settings – are all created by human hands,” He continues “What we’re aiming for in terms of efficiency through AI is mainly the digitisation of creative work made by people, for example, accurately converting original artwork into polygons and such. Please rest assured that no simplistic AI-generated output data is included in the games that are released.”
Finally, Hino’s message states “That said, it’s undeniable that this time, out of the desire to create a clear and flashy presentation, we ended up using AI in a wide variety of ways,”. “We will take this as a lesson and carry it forward to the next one, so please look forward to Level 5’s next presentation.”
Fans Are Not Happy With Generative AI Use in Level 5’s Upcoming Games
While Akihiro Hino’s response tries to dispel concerns that Level 5 is replacing human involvement in its development pipeline with generative AI, many have criticized the response for appearing more defensive towards the studio’s use of the technology rather than addressing ethical concerns regarding its use or its final results given the concerning quality of the art presented in recent trailers for Professor Layton and the Curious Village Remake and Holy Horror Mansion.
Samuel Deats, director on the popular Castlevania animated series for Netflix, also criticized Hino’s response, pointing towards the fact that generative AI models are often trained on stolen artwork and other copyrighted material that is then used to replace artists. “By using it you replaced artists. You’re profiting off of the skill of artists whose work has been stolen to power this software.”
In his X post, Akihiro Hino claims that “Ultimately, we are currently experimenting and working toward a plan to reduce the development period for major titles from the current five years to two years”, implying that the studio is using generative AI as a solution to release more games more consistently.
Since 2023, Level 5 has announced thirteen games ranging from mobile games to PC and console releases, across franchises like Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Fantasy Life, Yo-kai Watch, and more. As of today, only four of those titles have launched, with the likes of new IP Decapolice receiving a four-year delay from its initially announced 2023 release window to its recently updated 2027 date.
Hino has already teased that Level 5 is set to announce another “major title” in 2027 for the studio’s 30th anniversary.
