Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino confirmed the studio leaned heavily on generative AI for its recent Vision 2026 II showcase trailers, including footage for new Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch entries, after fans spotted inconsistencies like altered character faces and background details that didn’t match prior art.

The backlash erupted last week when side-by-side comparisons circulated on X showing Professor Layton backgrounds with “weird details and inconsistencies” and Yo-Kai Watch character redesigns that looked off, prompting accusations of “AI slop” replacing the hand-crafted charm the studio once built its reputation on with Ni No Kuni and earlier Layton titles. Hino responded on X, admitting the AI was added “entirely due to the desire to make the presentation more spectacular” as an experiment, while insisting core elements like scenarios, character designs, and settings remain human-made and that AI only digitized existing artwork into polygons.

He apologized for making fans “uncomfortable,” framed the push as a trial run to slash development times from five years to two, and vowed to treat the episode as a lesson for future presentations—though the company has no plans to abandon the tools. A separate VGC report notes that 100% of Japanese online game developers surveyed are already using generative AI in some capacity, putting Level-5’s transparency in context but doing little to soothe fans who feel the studio traded its distinctive visual identity for efficiency.