Konami's Hideki Hayakawa: AI won't shake game market

The Integrated Report 2026 places Hayakawa's market view and the eFootball example in the same section, which is why the two can look contradictory. Hayakawa acknowledges the common view that AI lowers barriers to making games, then argues barriers are already low because of general-purpose game engines and user-generated content, not AI. He adds that fun and innovative games still depend on creators, whose team chemistry he says is hard to replace.

The report's financial figures sit elsewhere and show momentum: revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2026 rose 17.1% to 493.677 billion yen. It cites Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater's remake passing 2 million units shipped worldwide and Silent Hill f as a new entry, plus a new RPG, Rev. NOiR, as a future title.

The eFootball deployment is described in only one line, naming the feature, its function, and the December 2025 update date; the models used, data handled, and results measured are not disclosed. The report also sets no rules on AI-generated assets, unlike Capcom, which said in March 2026 it would not use generative AI assets in game content and limits AI to development efficiency. On employment, the report offers neither promise nor warning, repeating only support for creators.