Japanese game development has moved to generative AI: 85.8% of developers use it at work

Everyone else is already using it: 63% work with models daily, 22,8% from time to time, and 8,6% are trying them in test mode. This is CESA's first measurement on the subject, so the association has no baseline for comparison with last year.

Who responded. 1349 valid responses, fielded from May to August 2026. Respondents included producers, engineers, artists, technical artists, audio specialists, game designers, and testers. Separately, the association surveyed its companies: 48 of 220 members responded about generative AI.

Earlier and now. A year ago, about half of CESA member companies had adopted AI technologies other than generative AI. Now around 70% use them, including pilots.

Raw model output does not go straight into production. Companies have one most common practice: a human reviews, edits, and takes responsibility for the result. Next come a closed list of approved tools and an outright ban on putting a model's answer into a product as is. Companies named copyright as the industry's main problem.

CESA promises the full 460-page report in early December 2026.