Kazuma Kaneko, character and demon designer for the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, confirmed that his next game will not use generative AI.
This marks a change of course after the mixed reception of his last two projects, which were criticized for their use of AI.
After more than 30 years at Atlus, Kaneko moved to COLOPL studio. In 2025, the card roguelike game Tsukuyomi: The Divine Hunter was released, where some illustrations were created using an AI model trained on the artist's new works. Despite this, Steam users gave the project a cool reception, and many criticized the quality of the images.
Answering a fan's question on X, Kaneko stated that he is already working on a new game at COLOPL and does not plan to use generative AI. He emphasized that even in the previous project, he did not create his own illustrations with AI — the technology was only part of the game mechanics.
Previously, the developer admitted that the experiment did not meet expectations, noting that it was faster for him to draw the illustration himself. The Nintendo Switch version of Tsukuyomi has already been released without AI-generated content.