According to a poll, Generative AI is being used by a whopping 100% of Japanese online game developers, as copyright infringement concerns climb

A 2026 report from Japan’s Online Game Association reveals widespread adoption of generative AI among Japanese online game developers, with a striking finding that 100% of polled developers currently utilize the technology.

Google’s Gemini dominates the market, used by 94% of surveyed developers. The primary applications remain largely analytical rather than creative, with developers leveraging AI for user preference analysis and user behavior prediction—practical but relatively mundane uses that face less industry resistance than generative content creation.

The findings highlight a notable contrast with broader global sentiment around AI in game development. While prominent studios like Larian have faced scrutiny for experimenting with generative AI, and many developers remain skeptical about the technology, the Japanese industry has embraced AI adoption at scale. The report suggests that when confined to analytical applications, AI tools encounter significantly less industry pushback.

Copyright infringement concerns, however, continue to shadow the technology’s expansion. As AI tools become increasingly integral to development workflows, questions persist about intellectual property protection and the datasets used to train these systems.

While the universal adoption rate is striking, the data reflects responses from a subset of Japanese online game developers rather than representing the entire global industry. Nevertheless, the findings underscore how thoroughly generative AI has become embedded in modern game development pipelines, particularly within the Japanese market.

According to a poll, Generative AI is being used by a whopping 100% of Japanese online game developers, as copyright infringement concerns climb

Sources