Kotaro Uchikoshi, the writer and director behind Zero Escape and AI: The Somnium Files, defended using AI in game development in a long post on his English X account (@Uchikoshi_Eng) on November 1. He was answering fan backlash to interviews about his new studio, CRASH KEYS, and its cancelled first game, published by Game*Spark and Famitsu on October 26.
He clarified 3 points. He wrote there is no direct causal link between the cancellation and not using AI, and apologized for phrasing: his call to be "more proactive" with AI meant letting creators choose it where it fits. "I still believe there's a place for AI in game development," he wrote.
He also expanded on an interview example. In his method, people create the ideas and design, AI builds tools that make values easy to change, and people make the final adjustments. He said the CRASH KEYS website was made this way: he drew the logo in Adobe Illustrator and planned the layout, then had AI write the HTML, CSS and JavaScript. That left the site under 30% done, he wrote; finishing took about a month.
He admitted AI put a red filter on a licensed Earth image on the site, since replaced. He condemned generated images that imitate an illustrator's style and said laws must catch up so AI companies pay creators fairly.
Game*Spark's interview came out first, with Famitsu's that evening. Famitsu reported the 3-person studio's game was dropped after about 18 months when the publisher changed strategy; Uchikoshi said mid-sized adventure teams compete with solo developers using AI (our summary of the Japanese). Automaton West covered both in English on October 27, and Kotaku translated parts of Famitsu's that day.
Why it matters: a well-known game writer has spelled out where he does and doesn't use AI. His split, AI on code and tooling and people on design and polish, will be familiar to developers using coding agents. His point that developers open about AI may fare worse than those who hide it goes to the heart of the disclosure debate. It follows Masahiro Sakurai's warning, covered on AIGamer, that AI will flood game stores.
Caveat: the account of how the website was built is Uchikoshi's own, and AIGamer hasn't verified it.
Uchikoshi told Game*Spark the studio's next projects should start being announced around spring 2027, possibly sooner, and that crowdfunding is being considered but isn't confirmed.
