Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino Apologizes Following Generative AI Use in Trailers

Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino has apologized to fans after the Japanese studio confirmed that generative AI was used in its recent game reveals. The company appeared in a Nintendo Direct showcase featuring upcoming titles, including Professor Layton and the New World of Steam and a remake titled Yo-Kai Watch 2: Haunted Domain. Following the presentation, social media users gathered evidence indicating widespread use of generative AI in the promotional material.

Hino confirmed the use of AI and stated that it was introduced to make the presentation more spectacular, but acknowledged that the company went too far. In a public post, he explained that the inclusion served as an experiment with the latest technology. He added that the studio deeply apologizes because some people felt uncomfortable about the results.

Addressing concerns regarding the creative process, Hino stressed that scenarios, character designs, and basic settings for Level-5 projects are created by humans. He noted that the studio uses AI to process and digitize human-created artwork, such as converting original drawings into polygons. Furthermore, Hino insisted that released games contain no simplistic AI-generated output data. Level-5 is experimenting with the technology while attempting to reduce major game development cycles from five years down to two years, and the company plans to treat the fan response as an important lesson.