Konami's president: AI won't reshape the games market

Hideki Hayakawa, president of Konami Digital Entertainment, said he does not expect artificial intelligence to bring a big change to the video game market. His comments appear in Konami's latest Integrated Report, a yearly document for investors. Automaton and Shacknews reported on them around October 19, 2026.

Many people say generative AI will make it easier to create games. Hayakawa accepted that idea, but said the barriers to making games had already fallen. In his view, this was because of general-purpose game engines and the growth of user-generated content, not because of AI.

He also said that AI could make production more efficient. But according to Shacknews, he wrote that people and creators remain the most important factors in making fun and innovative games. Automaton reported that he described teamwork between creators as something that cannot easily be replaced.

Konami is not against AI tools. Hayakawa said the company gives its creators structured support to understand new technologies, judge their risks and use them in development. One report said the document also shows that Konami already uses AI, at least on eFootball.

The report comes as Konami is releasing new games in its main series, including Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on October 15. Hayakawa did not give details on which AI tools Konami uses or how much.