Konami says real people matter most in making good games as too much of the industry embraces its own demise through generative AI.

Background: AI Talk Has Spread Through the Games Conversation

The source begins with a personal signal of stress. The writer says they have recently taken a habit of declaring a wish to explode instead of wishing anything more realistically violent on themselves when they feel stressed. The writer says this has happened a lot lately because of what they describe as AI nonsense appearing everywhere. In that framing, the source names Epic Games, Microsoft—described as an ever-boycottable company—and the decompiling community as examples of places where the trend has been felt. The source also says the poison has found its way into everyone's veins, and that this is why the writer wants to explode.

This opening matters because it places the Konami statement inside a broader online argument about AI in games. The source also acknowledges that Konami is a company often criticized for reasons it calls valid and parasocial, including the joke that Kojima will never acknowledge you. That context gives the statement more weight than a generic corporate line: the company is not usually discussed for restraint on AI hype.

Development: A Konami Integrated Report Pushes Back on Easy AI Production

The report was spotted by Dengeki Online and translated by Automaton. In Konami Digital Entertainment's latest integrated report, president Hideki Hayakawa shared his thoughts on the rapid paced development of AI technology.

The key point is that Hayakawa goes against the widespread belief that generative AI will make game development easier. He says he does not expect AI to bring a significant change. His reason is that entry barriers have already been lowered by the advancements of generic game engines and the spread of user-generated content.

He then gives the most direct statement of the report's position: "Even if AI use does lead to improvements in production efficiency, I believe that the most important factors in producing entertaining and innovative video games are people and creators."

This sentence contains the source's core claim. It does not say AI is useless. It says AI may improve production efficiency, but the main factors remain people and creators. The source also notes that Hayakawa obviously isn't completely swearing off AI. Still, the stance is notable because it separates efficiency from creative value. A tool can speed work without replacing the people who decide what a game should be.

Hayakawa further explained that the "kind of chemical reaction" that comes from developers with a range of backgrounds working together is "not something that can be easily replaced." This is the second important part of the statement. It suggests that the value of game development is not only output, but also the mixture of perspectives inside teams. The source author reacts to this with relief, saying it is refreshing to hear a company head have a tiny bit of common sense on this issue.

Latest Progress: Konami Supports New Technology While Keeping Creators Central

Hayakawa also used diplomatic language to say Konami still wants to support developers as technology advances. He said, "Even when it comes to epoch-making technological innovations, Konami provides systematic support so that creators can get a grasp of new technologies, properly assess the risks they may bring, and safely apply them to game development."

This adds balance to the report. The source reads it as Konami not rejecting new technology, but trying to put creators first. The wording puts risk assessment and safe application inside the development process, rather than treating technology adoption as a race to see who can use it fastest.

The source author summarizes the position with a simple preference: at least there is something of a priority of getting real people to make games. The author then jokes that the next request would be the complete abolishment of AI in its totality, while noting that Konami may not be suited for that task yet. That joke is not a fact about Konami's policy. The actual published statement is narrower: AI may help efficiency, but people and creators remain the most important factors.

What Readers Should Take From the Statement

For readers, the value is not a new game, platform, release date, sales figure, or score. None of those appear in the source. The value is a clear position from a game company's president about how generative AI may affect game development. It gives a counterpoint to the common assumption that AI automatically makes games easier to make.

The statement also tells readers where the debate may be going. One side says AI will lower barriers and change production quickly. The other side, as represented here by Hayakawa, says barriers have already been lowered by game engines and user-generated content, so AI may not be the next major change. That does not prove either side is right. It does show that the argument is not settled.

The practical takeaway is simple. If a company says it will provide systematic support so creators can understand new technologies, assess risks, and apply them safely, the result may be slower than hype but more focused on human judgment. For a reader watching the games industry, that is a useful signal: not every developer is saying the same thing about AI, and the most important question may not be how fast a tool can generate content, but whether real people remain at the center of the work.