Takiya Iijima (also known as Takeo Iijima), the Japanese developer behind titles such as Gakkou De Atta Kowai Hanashi and the Apathy series of visual novels, recently faced attention from fans over a promotional video for a mysterious new Apathy installment, which was first hinted at on August 1. After initially avoiding the subject, Iijima confirmed that the video was indeed produced using generative AI and shared his perspective on the technology (as noted by Game*Spark).
According to Iijima, generative AI enables him to “almost perfectly” craft visuals that match his intended casting (the trailer is rendered in a live-action style). His remarks then shift to indie development, where he expresses his desire to “pursue what he wants to do” for the rest of his life. “I’ll release the upcoming game under 7Korobi8Korogari (his indie studio) as an indie title for under 1,000 JPY, ensuring I won’t cause any issues for major publishers.”
Iijima also tackled concerns such as copyright issues related to generative AI training and the rights of actors and illustrators during his livestream, as Game*Spark reports. The developer stated that he “verified that the copyright issues were resolved,” and he is currently using several AI tools at a cost of hundreds of thousands of yen per month. These AI tools are reportedly being trained with his studio’s own copyrighted materials.
Regarding the creative process, Iijima explained: “We are certainly not just assembling things with a single button press; we invest time carefully refining prompts to construct character images from the ground up based on the vision in our minds.”
He also noted that using AI tools allows him to produce engaging content at a budget-friendly price of under 1,000 JPY with just one or two team members.
Iijima expressed his interest in further experimenting with AI-assisted creation in the indie gaming scene, with no intentions of employing the technology for home consoles (where major publishers and numerous stakeholders enforce stricter AI policies). Conversely, Iijima emphasizes that he maintains a clear boundary on when to utilize generative AI tools, as the script for the upcoming Apathy sequel will be penned entirely by him.
A new Apathy game is currently in development.