Overview
- Japan Online Game Association’s 2026 Online Game Market Research Report says 100% of polled domestic online game developers report using generative AI, and the survey covers only internet‑played Japanese games not offline console or standalone mobile titles.
- Developers mainly use general‑purpose models, with Google’s Gemini reported at 94% use, Anthropic’s Claude at 84% and GitHub Copilot at 76%, and the most common tasks are analysing user preferences and predicting player behaviour.
- Player respondents to the same survey expressed worries that generative AI could increase copyright infringement and make games feel more similar to one another.
- Industry sources say regional attitudes differ and some studios avoid public disclosure about AI use; Google Cloud’s games director has told reporters that roughly nine in ten global developers say they use AI but many do not advertise it.
- Analysts and coverage warn the rapid uptake may face limits because current large models are costly to run and investors are growing sceptical, which could force studios to cut back or change how they deploy AI.