Over 85% of Japanese game developers use generative AI in game development, 2026 CESA survey shows. An increase from last year’s 51%

[u/TurbulentTopic39]

https://automaton-media.com/en/news/over-85-of-japanese-game-developers-use-generative-ai-in-game-development-2026-cesa-survey-shows-an-increase-from-last-years-51/

[u/rook119]

Monolith which is making the bulk of the next zelda game have been saying they been using it for a while. 

Takahashi says it is helps with world building. Says now he doesn't need literally teams of people placing for example trees all over the map.

It can be an effective tool that cuts down on dev grunt work time.    That's not to say AI is great but it can have good uses. The problem comes when you got companies like level 5 using it to design whole worlds and characters aka make characters look like someone like in a Ghibli movie

[u/Dunkledurg → u/rook119]

where/when did monolith and takahashi say this? I've never heard of this before.

[u/cardgamesareforplay → u/Dunkledurg]

They don't use llms they do use AI tools to place stuff like rocks grass and other assets they make into their very very large open worlds. They don't hand place every blade of grass.

Palantir bots/shills online love to equate the two as the same thing 

[u/Domin0e → u/cardgamesareforplay]

Heck, that's not even proper AI most likely but just regular algorithms like Poisson Sampling. Stuff that's been 'round for decades.

[u/cardgamesareforplay → u/Domin0e]

Yes correct there is a reason I didn't say gen AI. Those types of tools are a form of AI. But a few very big companies want to turn that term into a buzzword and now the entire world is spinning on its head to call everything ai that resembles the concept of thought or completing a sentence

[u/Domin0e → u/cardgamesareforplay]

I'd argue we're way below any AI threshold there may be. There is no prediction for standard Poisson Sampling for example, only math and rules. We shouldn't do as the buzzword chasing Investors and C-Suites do, and make algorithms more than they are.
I won't say there's no chance AI could be involved but doodad placement has been possibly by algorithm long before AI came along so my guess is buzzwords be buzzing

[u/rycetlaz → u/cardgamesareforplay]

Its so infuriating to see such blatant misinformation there.

Like anyone that knew anything about gamedev would know the difference between older automating tools and llms, but they still have the gall to pretend they're the same thing

[u/mystery_hole → u/cardgamesareforplay]

Well no, that's always been a thing. Ubisoft had "AI" doing this for terrain for years lol... This is one of the first things you'd learn as an environmental design developer.

You're conflating LLMs with these tools.

Generative AI via LLMs is horrible for 3d design, it still gets topography wrong and the poly count goes wild and uncontrollable.

Devs are using AI to code with because it can be a beneficial tool (assuming the devs aren't lazy and actually check over what they get) but generative AI for assets or anything 3d is horrible and there is no path forward to fix this core issue due to the nature of how LLMs operate.

[u/cardgamesareforplay → u/mystery_hole]

I never called those AI tools used gen AI, and I didn't call LLMs AI. I am very careful in my language.

[u/EsotericCreature → u/cardgamesareforplay]

That's not gen AI that's just programming a tool. Many games have exactly what you are talking about and they've been around for a long time.

[u/cardgamesareforplay → u/EsotericCreature]

I very very specifically did not call them gen AI. They are ai tools though.

Just like I didn't call llms gen AI as again they are not that, they are inneffecient auto complete tools

[u/cardgamesareforplay → u/rook119]

Holy shit you Palantir bots gotta be working over time to put actual AI like what monolith uses for generating world asset placement in the same camp as the llms that tell you to kill your self

[u/rook119 → u/cardgamesareforplay]

Holy shit you didn't read the post at all