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Sohei Niikawa, the creator of original titles like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, recently discussed his perspective on generative artificial intelligence in an interview with Dengeki Online, with comments provided via machine translation. Niikawa stated that he does not view generative AI as a threat to game development, considering it instead as a useful tool to improve productivity where applicable.
Despite seeing practical applications for AI, Niikawa drew a strict line against copyright infringement and unlawful uses, declaring them completely off-limits. While he mentioned he might use AI for specific, narrow tasks such as referencing information or suggesting names for titles and characters, he firmly ruled out employing the technology to generate plots or characters. He specifically rejected the practice of having AI list commercially promising story concepts, emphasizing that mass production is not his goal and that shaping every single word and character by hand is the core value of his creative process.
Furthermore, Niikawa advised younger developers to develop the ability to create concepts that provide emotional resonance for players, treating AI-generated options merely as raw material to evaluate rather than accepting them outright. Meanwhile, Niikawa's next game, Demons' Night Fever, is scheduled to release on October 22.
