CESA survey: 85.8% of Japanese game developers now use generative AI
A CESA survey shared at Tokyo Game Show 2026 found 85.8% of Japanese game developers use generative AI, up from 51% a year earlier, with 63% using it daily.
Japan's Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) has found that 85.8% of Japanese game developers it surveyed use generative AI, compared with 51% a year earlier. Early results from the survey were shown at Tokyo Game Show 2026 in mid-September.
Among the developers who use AI, 63% use it every day and another 22.8% use it from time to time. Kotaku reports that 1,349 developers took part, and that responses were collected at CEDEC, Japan's game developers' conference. CESA expects to publish the full report in December 2026.
What developers say they get from it
According to Kotaku's summary of the preliminary data:
- 837 respondents said AI expanded their creativity
- 738 said it lowered technical barriers
- only 147 said it had actually improved the experience for players
Automaton reports that efficiency and productivity were the main benefits respondents expected, ahead of shorter development cycles and lower costs. The most common safeguard was having people check, correct and supervise anything the AI produced. CESA executive director Tsutomu Masuda said the industry must also deal with the risk of intellectual-property infringement from generative AI.
Why it matters
These results show how quickly AI tools have become part of everyday development, at least in Japan. They also suggest that most of the benefit so far has gone to developers rather than players. For small studios, the most useful part of the survey may be the caution about human review and IP risk.
