The Japan Online Game Association, in collaboration with Kadokawa ASCII Laboratories, released the JOGA Online Game Market Research Report 2026 on July 10. This annual survey, which has been conducted every year since 2004, provides a detailed look at the current state of Japan’s domestic online game market and the evolving strategies of local game developers.
This year’s edition delves into the perspectives of both developers and gamers regarding generative AI. As reported by a preview from Famitsu, the survey found that 100% of game companies are now utilizing generative AI tools. The most popular model among them is Google’s Gemini (94%), followed by Anthropic’s Claude (84%) and GitHub Copilot (76%). The primary tasks delegated to these AI tools include “user preference analysis” and “behavior prediction.”
For context, the survey from the previous year listed “content planning” as the top application alongside user analysis, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT being the most widely used AI tool at a 59% adoption rate.
Despite the widespread adoption of AI by developers, the 2026 report highlights that players’ main concerns about the technology include potential copyright infringement in games and the risk of games becoming too homogenous, with “all games starting to look alike.”
Although these findings pertain specifically to the online game sector, it appears that Japanese companies across the content industry are increasingly integrating AI into their operations. A survey by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) last September revealed that 51% of Japanese game companies were utilizing AI to some extent, with the most common uses being creative tasks such as generating visual assets and images, followed by story and text generation. Moreover, a recent survey of Japanese creative professionals in corporate settings showed that 59% of companies employ AI, and among them, 71.4% do not actively disclose this fact.