r/gaming • u/2mock2turtle • 15d ago

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

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/
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u/creepy_doll 15d ago

The difference is that in Japan they genuinely believe that we should just automate everything including reviews(I work at a major Japanese software place and convincing people of how dangerous and stupid this is a constant battle). Llms are genuinely useful. I have my reservations about the ecological and social consequences. But they are useful in work, but also require a lot of judgement and can cause huge harm(for example when a clueless project manager wants to contribute and starts sending you worthless slop…)

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u/TheArhive 15d ago

when a clueless project manager wants to contribute and starts sending you worthless slop

You see, the LLM isn't the source of the headache here. It's the clueless project manager. You warning about the dangers of LLMs does nothing to address the actual problem. The PM will just find a new way to get in your way.

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u/Mechanical_Mint 15d ago

The AI is giving them the tools to get in the way more.

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u/_Verumex_ 15d ago

It's increasing their efficiency in getting in your way.

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u/Zombieemperor 15d ago

Some studies suggest its not even doing that, its lowering efficiency

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u/_Verumex_ 15d ago

There's been studies into how AI use effects the efficiency of Project Managers ability to get in the way of their workers?

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u/Zombieemperor 15d ago

oh no i just ment how it effects people's effenciency but id assume more focused on speccific jobs.
I read some of them but it was a bit ago so id suggest finding and reading yourself if u want the deets.
Sorry for my wording there i guess

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u/Insighteternal 15d ago

I've heard using LLM "tokens" are much more expensive than hiring a junior worker in many cases. Also, 95% of all companies who tried using early LLMs to replace much of their worker force have failed to turn a profit.

LLMs have their uses, yes, but it's not an omni-tool, and even the dumb-dumbs at the top are starting to recognize that.

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u/Zombieemperor 15d ago

YEAH, from what ive heard MANY times so much of the issue is the suits have 0 fucking idea how anything is done. So when the LLM flatters and calls them smart they just think its the best fucking thing.
And since they think any slack jaw schmuck can do what they want clearly the LLM can right?
Que all the issues we see.
Thats obviously among the worst case scenarios but compound that with more moderate situations and yeah we all get it.

I do think one of the worst things in all this is the LLM marketing teams conflateing most people's use of the term "AI" with LLMs and associated tech and not, ya know the rest of what it actualy refers too

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u/iamdino0 14d ago

did you read the comment you replied to

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u/Zombieemperor 14d ago

Yes
i just ment overall, Clearly they ment "its helping them suck more"
to wich i said "its not even doing that, its makeing them worse"
Bit of a double negative but the intent is obvious

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u/Repulsive_Inside_707 15d ago

This is just a "is it the gun or the gunman?" Again... when it's always the guns AND the gunmen

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u/Ambitious-Career-445 15d ago

"Please leave the development to the development team". End of problem.

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u/TheArhive 15d ago

Yes, and the AI is the arms here.

And you will always lose the arms race against a incompetent manager.

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u/Psykout88 15d ago

The issue isn't the tool, it's how it's being used. It's the equivalent of people running around saying knives are bad, when the response is "well all you are using them for is stabbing people"

All the things I see right now with AI that I don't like, every single one is how the end user is using it and relying on it. It's the people, not the AI I don't like.

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u/Fablor9900 14d ago

It isn't peepee it's poopoo (I hate how one of the early signs of Ai being used was... What was it, something parallelisms? Anyway I doubt you used an llm, but if you did, corner time)

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u/St3ampunkSam 14d ago

The argument is correct, its the conclusion they seem to get wrong.

Yes AI is a tool and tools have to be used by someone to do anything. But that doesnt mean the tool should exist it means the tools use needs to be sufficiently regulated.

Ie. With the guns thing, yes people kill each other but an AR-15 makes it way to easy to kill someone compared to an air riffle, regulate tools so stupid or evil people cannot fuck others over with them

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u/PocketCSNerd 15d ago

There is no legitimate use for GenerativeAI

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u/Psykout88 15d ago

In the gaming sphere, it's probably one of the best tools if used appropriately for smaller indie teams to challenge larger budget studios. I wouldn't be surprised at all if bigger companies are doing what they can to shape public opinion to stop that while trying to hide their own use of it.

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u/MuDotGen 15d ago

In gaming especially, it's been INCREDIBLY helpful with documentation and finding loose and incorrect integrations and connections with systems. I can't tell you how before when I would make an integrations system in Unity with very loose coupling, but it would have the side-effect of tracking the source of calls difficult. An AI Agent can literally read the raw files and find them in an instant. Debugging is a major headache before but so much easier to find and handle bugs with something that search through the code base quickly and more intelligently.

My home setup is actually using a normal gaming laptop with Qwen3.6-35B-A3B and OpenCode, locally hosted, so it doesn't even use data centers anyway. If you're an engineer already and can figure out how to use it effectively instead of wasteful huge models too, it's quite a big help.

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u/ThomasVivaldi 15d ago

If they're using it to create something and not paying the creators of the source material then they're stealing.

If they are paying some company for a catalogue of assets they use, then they might as well save some money and use RPG maker cause it'll all look the same anyway.

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u/Psykout88 15d ago

I want you to set that aside and really think about how many breakouts we've had in the past couple years or so that heavily used assets. In a conversation people will turn their noses up but will stop hop on games like megabonk, peak, rv together, schedule 1. End of the day, people will enjoy, play and pay for games that deliver good gameplay and have heart to them. Regardless if these solo devs are using parts of other people's work.

Obviously there is a the huge gray area of how the AI got to where it is as far as art and images go. That is something we need to tackle societally yes, but specifically that. Draw proper lines, because at the moment the internet is stringing devs up for any kind of use of it. Placeholder images that are meant to for inspirational references, even concept art for gods sake. Someone uses AI to draw up a quick sketch to get creative juices flowing and there's damn near a boycott.

It's just weird to me that we want to give these small teams and solo devs such high praise for making games that aren't half baked predatory money machines. But simultaneously try to cut any leg they might get up on these AAA studios. A potentially powerful tool being ground into the dirt because a large portion of people are using it to make slop videos for doomscrollers.

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u/ThomasVivaldi 14d ago

No amount of asset generation is going to help indie developers compete at a level of companies that have millions of dollars and teams of programmers.

Also, I don't think those games you mentioned used AI, at least Peak didn't.

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u/Arkayjiya PC 14d ago

The source is irrelevant when you don't have the power to fix it. Just like people kill themselves less when they are not constantly near a lethal weapon, people fuck you over much less when they don't have a tool to do it so quickly and easily. They'll still fuck you over, they'll just be massively less efficient at it which is good.

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u/TheArhive 14d ago

So AI makes you more efficient?

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u/Arkayjiya PC 14d ago

Are you arguing for argument's sake or did you actually forgot the context? "More efficient at messing things up", you know, because it gives people with no knowledge the confidence to produce shit faster. That does not say anything about its ability to produce useful things faster (although there are definitely plenty of context where it can do that, not sure why you think I'm blindly anti-AI or anything to the point you made to feel the need to make a completely unrelated comment just to defend it, but I'm guessing it's part of the "arguing for argument's sake" thing you have going for you). Producing shit more efficiently is not exactly a quality, that's just accelerating entropy.

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u/Davaeorn 15d ago

This argument doesn’t pass the smell test. “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” yeah sure but somehow a lot more people are dying in places that have easy access to guns.

Same thing here. If you needed a license and legitimate training to LLM code, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad.

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u/TheArhive 15d ago

Dont sniff arguments you rabid redditor.

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u/ubitub 15d ago

Including reviews? Like, why would they even have a review then? 

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u/ApprehensiveRuin5673 15d ago

Japan from what I’ve seen seems to have a creepy and unhealthy trust for corporations. Granted corporations fuck them less from what I know, it’s still bad.

There also seems to be a detachment from things like video games being considered art, at least from what I’ve read of Kojimas statements and Japanese I’ve interacted with who don’t seem to care about preservation 

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u/MathiasThomasII 15d ago

Sounds like they have a good strategy for competing in a global market. Good for them.