Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino has confirmed that generative AI was used in footage for the studio’s recent digital showcase, apologizing after fans accused the company of hiding AI-assisted material. Hino said the technology was worked into presentation footage specifically to make the event look more spectacular, and acknowledged that the choice made some viewers uncomfortable.

The showcase, which streamed last week, carried announcements tied to Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch, Decapolice, and other Level-5 projects. It didn’t take long for eagle-eyed fans to flag what looked like telltale generative-AI fingerprints in the footage, and the backlash built quickly on social media in the days that followed.

The Reaction Nobody at Level-5 Wanted

One fan on X, going by orbalology, summed up the disappointment for plenty of onlookers: “I was SO excited when Level-5 announced their big comeback with Professor Layton, Decapolice, Yo-Kai Watch, and more. But seeing this much blatant genAI being used across their games… yeah, this ain’t it.” That sentiment echoed across the showcase’s replies, turning what was meant to be a triumphant comeback event into a flashpoint over undisclosed AI use, not unlike the outcry that followed Kings Do Not Fall’s AI-generated trailer earlier this year.

Big publisher showcases live or die on audience trust, and with events like Gamescom’s Opening Night Live drawing scrutiny over every frame, Level-5 picked a bad week to get caught fudging footage.

What Hino Actually Said

Responding on X, Hino explained that the AI processing was an experiment tied to the desire for a flashier presentation, not a shortcut baked into the finished games. He drew a hard line between the showcase footage and the actual products, insisting that scenarios, character designs, and basic settings in Level-5’s released work remain entirely human-made.

Still Chasing Faster Development

Hino tied the episode back to Level-5’s broader push to cut development time on major titles from five years down to two, describing the studio’s AI work as ongoing trial and error rather than a finished pipeline. He conceded that this particular presentation leaned on AI “in a wide variety of ways” and said the studio would treat the backlash as a lesson heading into its next showcase.

According to VGC, which first surfaced Hino’s statement, the apology stops short of walking back AI use altogether. Level-5 isn’t alone in that stance either – Krafton, Square Enix, and EA have all made similarly public bets on AI-driven efficiency, putting Level-5’s stumble squarely inside a wider industry trend rather than an isolated misstep.

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