Square Enix vets say devs of the future will need to 'master the use of AI', but the human touch will still be vital
News Source
β’Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:15:52 +0000
π° What Happened
Two veteran Square Enix developers told Japanese magazine Famitsu that future game makers must learn to use AI well. Hiromichi Tanaka, who worked on many Final Fantasy games before leaving the company in 2012, said future games will come down to "how well people can master the use of AI".
Yoshinori Kitase, now a producer on Final Fantasy 7: Revelation, agreed. He said major studios must rethink how they build games to avoid being swept away by this wave.
π The Backstory
Japanese developers are generally more open to AI than studios and players in the West. Kitase noted that easy-to-use game engines have already let many more people make games, and that new tools will help them further.
But he drew a line: humans must handle the step of turning zero into one, meaning the first original idea. PC Gamer's writer was less sure, pointing out that small studios are already having their games cloned.
π― Why It Matters
AI tools are changing how games get made. This debate decides whether players get more creative games from small teams, or a flood of cheap copies.
Two veteran Square Enix developers told Japanese magazine Famitsu that future game makers must learn to use AI well. Hiromichi Tanaka, who worked on many Final Fantasy games before leaving the company in 2012, said future games will come down to "how well people can master the use of AI".
Yoshinori Kitase, now a producer on Final Fantasy 7: Revelation, agreed. He said major studios must rethink how they build games to avoid being swept away by this wave.
Japanese developers are generally more open to AI than studios and players in the West. Kitase noted that easy-to-use game engines have already let many more people make games, and that new tools will help them further.
But he drew a line: humans must handle the step of turning zero into one, meaning the first original idea. PC Gamer's writer was less sure, pointing out that small studios are already having their games cloned.
AI tools are changing how games get made. This debate decides whether players get more creative games from small teams, or a flood of cheap copies.