--- title: "Konami Boss: Generative AI Will Not Upend the Gaming Industry, and the Barrier to Entry is Already Lowered by Engines and UGC" description: "Konami Digital Entertainment President Hideki Hayakawa stated that generative AI will not upend the gaming industry: the barrier to entry is already lowered by engines and UGC, and the core value lies in people and team synergy." date: 2026-10-18T09:05:24.541Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/konami-hayakawa-ai-will-not-upend-gaming tags: [konami, generative-ai, game-development, hideki-hayakawa, ugc] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Konami Boss: Generative AI Will Not Upend the Gaming Industry, and the Barrier to Entry is Already Lowered by Engines and UGC ![Modern Konami office with workstations and a statue of Solid Snake](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/18/konami-hayakava-ii-ne-perevernyot-industriyu-igr/konami-hayakava-ii-ne-perevernyot-industriyu-igr-1.webp) ## Key Points - Konami voiced its official stance on generative AI within the publication of its financial report. - Hideki Hayakawa stated that AI will not upend the industry or critically lower the barrier to entry, which is already lowered by engines and UGC. - The core value of gamedev, according to the company, is people and team synergy, which cannot be replicated by algorithms. - Konami acknowledges the potential of AI to increase efficiency, but is developing internal regulations and betting on the UGC project Wai Wai World Craft. Amid public discussions surrounding the role of artificial intelligence in game development and copyright protection, Konami utilized the release of its latest financial report to voice its official stance on generative AI. The statement by Konami Digital Entertainment President Hideki Hayakawa stands out against the industry's general optimism: instead of promising revolutionary changes, the top executive explicitly stated that AI will not upend the gaming market nor critically lower the barrier to entry. This sentiment contrasts with the views of several other industry leaders, including the former head of PlayStation, who conversely believes in a "bright future" for AI in gaming. ### Position Voiced Through the Financial Report The choice of venue for the statement is not accidental: Konami tied its position to regular financial reporting, giving Hayakawa's words the status of official corporate policy rather than a personal opinion. At a time when the issue of generative AI and copyright has become one of the most discussed in gamedev, the publisher chose not to gloss over the topic, but rather to enshrine its strategy in a public document. This allows the company to simultaneously answer investor inquiries and establish a framework for internal development teams. ### Barrier to Entry: Engines and User-Generated Content Hayakawa builds his key argument around changes that have already occurred within the industry. According to him, the barrier to entry into the gaming market has already been substantially lowered by the advent of universal game engines and the spread of the user-generated content (UGC) trend. In this logic, generative AI is viewed not as a factor that will "break" the market, but as yet another tool in an already altered ecosystem where the threshold for creating projects has long ceased to be insurmountable for small teams and individual creators. ### People and Team Synergy as the Core Value Konami's management emphasizes that the true value of gamedev lies in people and team synergy: in the exchange of ideas between creators from different fields, which, according to the company, cannot be replicated by algorithms. In the publisher's view, it is the live interaction of developers, artists, writers, and designers that forms the uniqueness of games, rather than automated content generation. This position places the human creative process at the center of the corporate development philosophy. ### Caution, Internal Regulations, and a UGC Project At the same time, Konami does not deny the utilitarian potential of AI: the company acknowledges that technologies are capable of increasing efficiency in certain development processes. However, the publisher remains cautious and is developing clear internal regulations for AI usage, prioritizing team creativity and community engagement. As an example of its own strategy in the field of user-generated content, the company highlights the UGC project Wai Wai World Craft, which reflects its commitment to the community and co-creating worlds. ### Contrast with Other Industry Perspectives Hayakawa's position sounds as a deliberate counterweight to more optimistic assessments of AI in gamedev expressed by other industry leaders, including the former PlayStation boss. While some see generative AI as the engine for a new stage of gaming development, Konami relies on a proven model: people, teams, community, and controlled, regulated application of new tools. This approach allows the company to occupy a stable niche in the public discussion and pre-emptively signal to the market how the publisher intends to work with artificial intelligence in the coming years. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [В отличие от бывшего босса PlayStation, босс Konami не верит в светлое будущее ИИ в играх](https://www.goha.ru/v-otlichie-ot-byvshego-bossa-playstation-boss-konami-ne-verit-v-svetloe-budushhee-ii-v-igrah-dQYRvz) - Primary source: Hideki Hayakawa's statement that AI will not upend the industry or lower the entry barrier (already lowered by engines and UGC); emphasis on people and synergy; internal regulations; UGC project Wai Wai World Craft; contrast with former PlayStation boss's stance. ## FAQ ### Who at Konami voiced the position on generative AI? The statement was made by Konami Digital Entertainment President Hideki Hayakawa as part of the publication of the company's latest financial report. ### Does Konami believe that AI will upend the gaming industry? No. According to Hayakawa, contrary to popular expectations, AI will not upend the industry or critically lower the market entry barrier. ### What, in Konami's view, has already lowered the entry barrier in gamedev? According to the company, the entry barrier has already been lowered by the advent of universal game engines and the trend toward user-generated content (UGC). ### Does Konami use AI in development? The company acknowledges the potential of AI to increase efficiency in specific processes, but remains cautious and is developing clear internal regulations, prioritizing team creativity and community, including the UGC project Wai Wai World Craft.