Akihiro Hino, President and CEO of Level-5, explained on his X account the use of AI in the concept art for the company’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026).
Carefully Crafting Each Element to Achieve the Final Result
Level-5 plans to have a booth at TGS 2026, which will be held from September 17 to September 21. The booth will feature playable demos of the company’s titles, such as *Professor Layton and the New World of Steam* and *Decapolis*, as well as photo spots.
Amid this, Level-5’s official X account released concept art for the booth—featuring motifs from each title—on September 14. While the images were described as offering a theme park-like atmosphere, users on Community Note suspected AI had been used due to the unnatural appearance of the skeletal framework in the images, and comments—primarily from international users—expressed skepticism.
Additionally, Level-5 sparked controversy when it was revealed that AI had been used in the footage from its online new title announcement event, “LEVEL5 VISION 2026 II: Dream,” which aired on September 10. President Hino acknowledged using AI, explaining that it stemmed from a desire to create “an easy-to-understand and flashy presentation.”
Regarding the images of the booth, Mr. Hino explained that AI-generated images were used, adding, “Creating concept art and AI-generated previews before an event is now standard practice for most companies.”
On the other hand, he emphasized that the actual booth was designed by humans and meticulously handcrafted. While acknowledging that there are still some areas that need tweaking, he explained that each piece is being crafted one by one so that visitors can take photos of them, and he encouraged people to come to the venue.
Please also check the special webpage for details on Level-5’s TGS 2026 exhibition.
