Kenzo Saruhashi, CEO of Nippon Ichi Software and president of its Western arm NIS America, told Gamer24h during a recent interview at PAX West that the company is actively “researching” the use of generative AI — though he was quick to clarify that the studio is nowhere near adopting it wholesale. The comments came up as a follow-up to a broader conversation about the company’s translation and localization strategy, and they arrive at a moment when an increasing number of developers are openly admitting that large portions of their output are AI-generated. Saruhashi’s stance signals a deliberate, quality-first approach that stands in contrast to the more aggressive AI adoption seen elsewhere in the industry.
Saruhashi was appointed president of NIS America in addition to his existing role as CEO of Nippon Ichi, and a central aim of that dual appointment is to unify the two branches of the company and ultimately deliver more games to Western audiences. That ambition includes releasing titles simultaneously worldwide rather than delaying Western launches by months after their Japanese debut. Achieving that goal, however, requires a substantial ramp-up in the company’s localization capabilities — and in today’s climate, that pressure could easily tempt a studio toward automated translation pipelines.
When asked directly whether Nippon Ichi was currently using AI for localization, Saruhashi offered a measured response. “We are not specifically at the moment. But we are researching it, because we know that there are a lot of companies right now that are utilizing AI,” he explained. He stressed that the studio would never allow AI to “completely take over the responsibility for localization,” framing the work instead as a quality-control exercise. “We want to make sure that we can ensure the quality is there at the same time if we were to use it. So right now we’re in a researching phase to see whether that’s something that’s possible.” He added a personal caveat that, in his view, AI is not necessarily a shortcut to speed either.
A Quality-First Philosophy
When pressed on whether this philosophy extends beyond localization to every facet of his business, Saruhashi said it largely does. He acknowledged the mounting pressure felt across the creative industry as a whole, noting that conversations with fellow developers reveal a shared end goal: making a quality game for the fans. “We can’t simply ignore AI entirely,” he said, “and so we do at least have to research it as a possibility moving forward.” For him, the decisive question is not efficiency but impact on the final product. “I think if you were to apply AI, the best way to do so would be in a way that actually improves the quality of the game,” he said. “You should look at it as, ‘does it improve the quality of the end product?'”
“I don’t think that’s really the way to look at it. You should look at it as, ‘does it improve the quality of the end product?'”
Kenzo Saruhashi, CEO of Nippon Ichi and President of NIS America
The interview unfolded against a backdrop of intense scrutiny over AI in games. Other studios have been vocal about their use of the technology, though its application in anime has proven “both wildly unpopular and also frequently very, very wrong,” as one observer put it. Meanwhile, the broader skepticism surrounding corporate AI promises is well documented — “researching” has, for many companies, been the very first step into full-on AI content creation, its use has been both wildly unpopular and frequently especially at Japanese game studios still reeling from the Level-5 AI use over here.
That caution is not lost on the community, where many players remain wary of the phrase “researching” being quietly reclassified as the opening move toward automated content generation. For Nippon Ichi, however, the studio’s track record — as the developer of the acclaimed Disgaea series and publisher of franchises like Trails and Ys — lends weight to its measured approach. The company’s next major title, Village in the Shade, is expected to arrive without the shadow of mass AI generation hanging over it, at least for now.
Looking Ahead
While Saruhashi did not disclose a specific timeline for any AI integration, his comments suggest the research phase is ongoing and unlikely to yield a quick turnaround. The studio’s priorities remain firmly anchored in delivering polished, fan-focused games, with simultaneous global releases serving as a key strategic objective. As localization capabilities continue to expand, the question of whether AI can meaningfully support — rather than replace — that workflow will remain an open one. For now, Nippon Ichi appears content to take its time, betting that the enduring appeal of its games lies in quality over speed.
For players hoping to see the studio’s next release, the message is reassuring: Nippon Ichi is watching the AI wave closely, but it intends to ride it only if doing so genuinely improves the product — never at the expense of the craft its fans have come to expect.
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