LEVEL-5 faces backlash over all the AI usage in its presentation
, by Thibaut
Although the event went relatively unnoticed due to the Nintendo Direct, LEVEL5 held its own presentation this week. The Japanese company took the chance to share more information about several titles, including FANTASY LIFE i, Inazuma Eleven: Bold Revolution, DECAPOLICE, and the Professor Layton series.
Beyond this lineup of games, LEVEL5 faced a major controversy. The company made extensive use of generative AI to present its broadcast, something that didn't go unnoticed by fans. In fact, the LEVEL5 VISION 2026 II got over 41,000 dislikes on YouTube, compared to 30,600 likes.
Akihiro Hino, LEVEL5’s CEO, had to go and address the issue on X. In a lengthy post, he acknowledged the extensive use of generative AI in the event’s production. However, he also sought to reassure the public about the studio’s game development process.
"[...] The aspects related to the charm and identity of the published works, such as storylines, character designs, and basic settings, are all created entirely by human hands. The primary goal of AI is to improve efficiency in the stages of digitizing human creations, for example, the precise conversion of original drawings into polygons, and so on. Rest assured: no elements created entirely by AI are included in the games we release.
Conversely, thanks to the efficiency provided by AI, creators now have more time to devote to the very essence of creation, and I believe the finished products offer an even more satisfying level of polish than in the past, one that will likely win you over completely. Ultimately, we’re currently in a phase of trial and error and relentless struggle, as part of a plan to reduce the development cycle for major titles, currently five years, to just two years.
Nevertheless, this time, in order to deliver a clear and spectacular presentation, we cannot deny that we made extensive use of AI. We will learn from this experience as we move forward."
Medias
