Within the wake of fierce on-line backlash, Professor Layton developer Stage-5 has launched a new assertion apologizing for the distrust attributable to generative AI use in its latest showcase for upcoming titles, insisting some examples noticed by followers have been merely human error.
Not solely that, however the studio has insisted that some errors flagged as AI errors by eagle-eyed commenters on social media have been really human errors. The Japanese studio has now vowed to wash up these offending parts.
For individuals who missed it, Stage-5 launched its “VISION 2026 II: Goals” presentation on YouTube on September 10. Narrated by a cartoon model of CEO Akihiro Hino, the showcase walked viewers by way of the studio’s upcoming releases, together with Yokai Watch 2: Haunted Area, Decapolice, and a primary have a look at Professor Layton and the New World of Steam.
Nonetheless, shortly after the video dropped, social media was flooded with feedback and response movies. Commenters scrutinized backgrounds and artwork, noting inconsistencies and parts suggestive of generative AI use, with many slamming Stage-5 for perceived “AI slop.” Comparisons between the September 9 Nintendo Direct Yokai Watch 2 trailer and the VISION 2026 trailer for a similar sport launched only a day later additionally had followers mentioning AI-like errors. The Nintendo Direct trailer for Professor Layton and the Curious Village (a Change remake of the Nintendo DS unique), additionally had web sleuths discovering parts that seemed to be AI upscales of unique backgrounds.
Oh no Stage-5 is DEFINATELY utilizing Gen AI to “replace” Professor Layton. Particularly whenever you examine the unique backgrounds to the brand new. So many bizarre particulars and inconsistencies have been added. https://t.co/AjVNfgetkk pic.twitter.com/0tRQ9vKn03
— AmericanYoshi (@AmericanYoshi) September 10, 2026
This backlash prompted CEO Hino to make a assertion on X, admitting that the developer had experimented with utilizing AI processing strategies for the VISION 2026 II showcase out of a “need to make the presentation flashy.” After apologizing for the offense that this precipitated, Hino insisted that key parts of Stage-5’s video games (resembling story, character designs and settings) have been created by folks and that AI instruments have been used to hurry up the method of digitizing artists’ creations. “Please be reassured that there is no such thing as a simplistic, AI-generated information in our launched video games,” Hino commented, earlier than noting that the corporate’s use of AI instruments to make processes extra environment friendly was giving its builders extra time to be artistic, and that they’re at the moment in a trail-and-error means of shortening the 5-year improvement cycle for main titles down to 2 years.
Hino’s assertion went down like a lead balloon, nevertheless. The CEO’s feedback about “utilizing AI in numerous methods” to reinforce the visible look of the showcase drew explicit ire, with many Japanese customers seeing this as a lazy ‘type over substance’ method. “Isn’t the purpose of a trailer to precise creativity, not flashiness?” one individual stated.
Many commenters in each Japanese and English additionally identified the moral points with how generative AI has been educated on copyrighted works of artists, and the way Stage-5’s perspective in the direction of gen AI creates mistrust amongst followers. “I believe human spirit is extra vital than the pace of sport releases, so wouldn’t or not it’s higher to not use AI, even when it takes 5 years? Even when only one asset is AI-generated, folks won’t ever cease worrying about whether or not a track, picture or line of dialogue is AI or human-made. Isn’t sustaining belief a very powerful factor?” one other commenter responded in Japanese. As a facet observe, Stage-5’s idea picture for its TGS sales space additionally obtained flagged as a suspected AI picture, prompting additional offended feedback.
In its newest assertion issued on September 17, Stage-5 stated: “We deeply apologize for the mistrust in our manufacturing course of that our inexperienced use of AI and easy human errors have precipitated. Please observe that AI has not been used immediately within the contents of the video games themselves. Shifting ahead, we can pay even larger consideration to the accuracy and high quality of the work we produce.”
Stage-5 additionally stated that it’ll clear up “errors attributable to AI use, in addition to human errors that appear like AI errors,” and add corrected variations of the trailers to coincide with Tokyo Sport Present, which opens to the general public this weekend. On the time of writing, Stage-5 has uploaded TGS variations of trailers for Decapolice and Holy Horror Mansion to its official YouTube channel.
In its September 17 assertion, Stage-5 revealed a side-by-side of Yokai Watch 2’s promotional illustration earlier than and after errors had been edited out. Addressing feedback made by customers concerning the phone traces trying “unnatural,” the corporate acknowledged that its artist had used an actual picture of phone traces that they had taken themselves as a reference, and deliberately simplified the traces to suit the background, which resulted on this “being misconstrued as AI.” “These phone traces have been really hand-drawn by our in-house designer, nevertheless, to stop any additional misunderstandings, we’ve corrected them in order that they give the impression of being extra pure,” Stage-5 stated.
However what about different particulars flagged by commenters as doable indicators of gen AI utilization? Stage-5 stated that, “Equally, different points that individuals identified, resembling with the merchandising machine and guttering, have been additionally the results of human error in omitting these particulars. The brake levers on the bicycle weren’t drawn in previous Yokai Watch 2 video games. Nonetheless, we really feel they need to have been drawn for this newest sport, contemplating the upper degree of element.”
⁉️ Dans le nouveau trailer de Yo-kai Watch 2 : Haunted Area, Nathan a… changé de visage ?! 😭#YOKAIWATCH
Hier (gauche) / Aujourd’hui (droite) pic.twitter.com/Vr3rzwNPA7— Yo-net Watch (@YonetWatch) September 10, 2026
Many commenters additionally picked up on how Kenta/Nathan’s face appears totally different within the Stage-5’s VISION 2026 II showcase and the Nintendo Direct that was launched on yesterday. In response, Stage-5 stated, “We didn’t make any alterations or corrections utilizing AI.” It stated it was unable to appropriate Nathan’s low-poly look in time for Nintendo Direct’s submission deadline however had up to date the mannequin by the point of its personal showcase, which explains why Nathan appears totally different in trailers that have been made public simply sooner or later aside. Stage-5 additionally acknowledged that “no AI was utilized in Professor Layton and the New World of Steam,” nevertheless it didn’t touch upon whether or not or not AI was used for the Curious Village remake.
Stage-5 wrapped up its assertion by apologizing once more for the mistrust attributable to its “inexperienced use of AI and human error,” promising to take extra care sooner or later to keep away from such errors. “Any further, we are going to restrict our AI utilization to enhancing effectivity, and can keep away from immediately utilizing it in movies launched on to our followers.”
This assertion additionally didn’t go down properly. “I don’t suppose they perceive WHY utilizing AI is unhealthy. We weren’t mad on the little errors that AI produced, we simply used these errors to find out if it was AI or not, as a result of utilizing AI in any respect is unhealthy. Now they’ll proceed utilizing AI however they’ll cover it higher,” one commenter responded.
It isn’t about lowering using AI, however about eliminating it totally. pic.twitter.com/ziJuMrxBsm
— Turo (@Any_Turo) September 16, 2026
Many Japanese feedback additionally criticized the Stage-5 assertion for blaming human error. “You promised to not use gen AI going ahead, however aren’t you simply shifting the blame onto the employees?” replied one commenter. “I believe the principle purpose for all this criticism is President Hino’s stance of repeatedly selling generative AI utilization with out confronting its basic points (resembling unauthorized use of knowledge and environmental air pollution).”
Stage-5 has been experimenting with gen AI instruments to hurry up sport improvement and enhance effectivity for at the very least the final three years. Again in December 2023, the studio launched an in depth presentation on its use of AI instruments to a Japanese authorities research group (supply: Automaton/ITMedia). Briefly, it has been utilizing Steady Diffusion to generate structure concepts for promotions, and to create 3D variations of the unique 2D fashions from older video games, like its Yokai Watch sequence. Nonetheless, the corporate identified then that these generative AI outputs have been simply used as pointers for its human artists, who produced the ultimate output. In the identical presentation, it described combining components of AI-generated pictures with creations by its artists to make the in-game backgrounds (together with stadium crowds and buildings) for soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven: Victory Street.
Nonetheless, it stays to be seen how a lot the studio’s perspective in the direction of AI utilization prices it by way of gamers’ belief within the firm.