News
Do Japanese game developers use AI? 85.8% say yes
Japan's game industry association asked for the first time. Almost nine in ten professionals use AI at work, and most companies have a person check the results.
SUMMARY FOR WHEN YOU'RE SHORT ON TIME · 2 min
Yes, and many of them. In the survey by CESA, the association of Japanese game companies, 85.8% of the 1,349 professionals surveyed said they use generative AI at work, and 63.0% use it every day. The number measures use at work, not how much of the games released was made by AI; the sample also includes teachers and students.
- CESA, the association of Japanese game companies, released the survey on September 17, 2026, in the preview of its annual report, handed to the press at Tokyo Game Show.
- Of the 1,349 professionals who responded, 85.8% use generative AI at work: 63.0% every day and 22.8% occasionally.
- Only 4.8% said they had never used it, and 0.7% had used it and stopped.
- Among the member companies that responded (48 of 220), the most common safeguard is having a person check, correct, and supervise what the AI does.
- The benefit companies expect most is working faster and producing more; the problem cited most is copyright.
- In a 2026 global survey by GDC, use was much lower: 36% of professionals.
Your first step: Pick a small task in your game, like a list of enemy names or the text of a dialogue, ask the AI for a draft, and write down what you had to fix.
What did the CESA survey find?
CESA, the association of Japanese game companies, asked industry professionals for the first time whether they use generative AI, the kind of AI that creates text, images, sound, or code from a request. Of the 1,349 who answered, 85.8% said yes, at work12.
The result came out on September 17, 2026, in the preview of the association's annual report, handed to the press at Tokyo Game Show1. The full report is expected in early December1.
| Answer | Share of the 1,349 professionals | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Uses generative AI at work | 85.8% | CESA, September 17, 202612 |
| Uses it every day | 63.0% | CESA, via gamebiz2 |
| Uses it occasionally | 22.8% | CESA, via gamebiz2 |
| Has never used it | 4.8% | CESA, via gamebiz2 |
| Used it and stopped | 0.7% | CESA, via gamebiz2 |
Who answered?
People from almost every role in a studio: producers, directors, programmers, artists, sound designers, game designers, testers, and managers. Teachers and students in the field were included too2. That is why the number applies to "people who work in or study games in Japan," not only to people at a studio.
What do companies do with AI?
A second survey asked the member companies: 48 of the 220 answered that part2. The most common safeguard is having a person check, correct, and supervise what the AI delivers. Next come limiting which tools can be used and not using the output without review12.
What they hope to gain is working faster and producing more (38 companies), shortening the time it takes to make a game (30), and spending less (29)3. The biggest concern cited is copyright23.
What does this change for people who want to make a game?
The number shows that, in one of the countries that makes the most games in the world, using AI has become part of the daily work, not something only beginners do. And it shows how professionals use it: AI makes the draft, a person decides and corrects (our take, based on the companies' answers).
For someone who wants to make a first game, this is the part worth copying. AI can write the code or draw the character, but checking whether it came out right and whether it is fun is still up to you. See what AI does and what stays with the person making the game.
The other side
Using AI at work does not mean the game was made by AI: someone who asks for a text summary once a week also counts in the 85.8%. The survey is from Japan, and in GDC's 2026 global survey only 36% of professionals said they use generative AI at work, and 52% think it is bad for the industry5. Some sites compared the result with 51% the year before4, but CESA says this is its first survey of its own on the subject1, so it cannot be used to measure growth. See also whether making a game with AI is easy.
Related questions
What is CESA?
It is the association of Japanese game companies, the same one that organizes Tokyo Game Show, one of the largest game fairs in the world. Every year it publishes a report on the industry in Japan.
How many people answered CESA's survey on AI?
There were 1,349 valid responses from game professionals in Japan, including producers, programmers, artists, sound designers, testers, and managers, as well as teachers and students in the field.
Are 85.8% of Japanese games made with AI?
No. The number says that 85.8% of the people surveyed use generative AI in some part of their work. It does not measure how much of each released game came from AI.
Did AI use in Japan grow compared with 2025?
This survey cannot tell you. Some sites compared it with 51% the year before, but CESA itself says this is the first time it has run its own survey on generative AI.
Do Japanese companies let AI work alone?
The most common answer among companies was the opposite: a person checks, corrects, and supervises the result. Other answers included limiting which tools are allowed and not using what the AI delivers without review.
When will CESA's full report come out?
CESA expects the full report in early December 2026. The September preview was not sold: it was handed out to the press.
Sources
- CESA, announcement of the "CESA Game Industry Report 2026, preview edition" (September 17, 2026, in Japanese). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- gamebiz, results of CESA's survey on generative AI (September 18, 2026, in Japanese). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- Toy People News, on the preview of CESA's report (September 18, 2026). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- AUTOMATON West, "Over 85% of Japanese game developers use generative AI" (September 2026). Accessed October 14, 2026.
- GDC, "State of the Game Industry 2026". Accessed October 14, 2026.
Was this article helpful?
Thank you. This helps us decide what to improve.
Once a week, what changed in making games with AI
Every Tuesday, a 3 to 5 minute read: the news that changes something for people who want to make a game, one reader question answered, and the new articles. Unsubscribe anytime with one click.
By signing up, you agree to the privacy policy.
Done. We sent you an email to confirm.
That didn't work. Check that your email is correct and try again.
Found a mistake? Let us know. We fix it and log the correction on the page. Report a mistake