Last September, Level-5 Vision showcased the developers’ global game lineup. Many laid eyes on Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, Decapolice, and Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road. Until the spotlight centered on Yo-kai Watch’s planned successor, Holy Horror Mansion, artists have spotted multiple AI-generated assets.
Level-5 President and CEO Akihiro Hino has admitted the company is experimenting with generative AI programs to improve its game quality. Their followers voiced their distaste for the RPG developers who are training the automatic worker. However, their golden goose, Professor Layton, will be their most human-made game.
Level-5 Admits to AI Training
Before Holy Horror Mansion’s backlash, Hino informed Automaton about which sectors his teams are using artificial intelligence in December 2023. The article presented multiple evidence of creating AI-generated assets in-game and during the visionary process. Two games that caught readers’ eyes are Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road and Decapolice.
Deca Sim Central went into deeper detail about how both games combined organic and Stable Diffusion assets. The crowds in Victory Road are AI-generated, while the Level-5 design team created the character models and environments by hand. Automaton also mentions selected character voices spoken with text-to-speech software Voicevox. They were used as a placeholder until a voice actor is found.
Decapolice shares similarities with certain environments modeled by designers first, then use Stable Diffusion to copy and recreate their art style. The mystery RPG also showed the use of ChatGPT to generate ideas for certain questlines.
These techniques drastically influenced Holy Horror Mansion’s development. Its teaser trailer previewed a combined effort of using human-made and AI-generated backgrounds. After identifying and confirming that Level-5 is practicing to use the automated programs, negative criticism discussions rapidly appeared on social media.
Professor Layton and The New World of Steam is AI-Code Assisted
On May 8th, 2025, Hino informed Professor Layton fans about The New World of Steam’s coding. He told Top Game Creators Academy (TGCA) that the game is 90% programmed by generative AI. Yet, if any mistakes are made, a Level-5 programmer will identify the problem and resolve it. Other games from the To the World’s Children broadcast have been implemented with this method.
The developer CEO revealed their goal is not to abuse these AI-generated programs, but rather to find a balance. Hino confidently said, “[Artificial intelligence] doesn’t just stop at programming-[the technology] is encroaching on art, music, and even game design on a large scale. It’s already becoming common sense in the creative world to rely on AI to boost work efficiency.”
So far, there has been no evidence of The New World of Steam receiving the Stable Diffusion treatment, nor using synthesized voices or generated concepts. It is possible that the game was planned before generative AI usage. Hershel Layton’s next adventure takes place after the third game, Unwound Future. Its ending shows his assistant, Luke Triton, departing on a ship to America. The New World of Steam ventures into the boy’s new hometown, Steam Bison.
Analyzing the TGS 2025 Demo
Level-5 has dedicated a hands-on The New World of Steam demo at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The Famicast provided a first look with English subtitles on YouTube. From the first scene to the end of the demo, the backgrounds and city models don’t show signs of Stable Diffusion. All of Steam Bison’s citizens and visitors are modeled and animated by the Professor Layton team.
As for their voices, they sound natural with their sounds and fully-voiced lines. The series is known for its puzzle-solving gameplay to showcase Layton’s critical thinking. And at times, he challenges Luke to solve them in their free time. Level-5 introduced The New World of Steam’s puzzle developers, QuizKnock. For almost a decade, they entertained and educated Japan with Q&A quizzes.
This makes sense, as ChatGPT cannot replicate Professor Layton’s various puzzle styles. They range from math solving to extreme outside-the-box thinking. The New World of Steam’s Puzzle 002 is an excellent example. Instead of being taken to the puzzle screen, Puzzle 002 zooms in on the Byron the Hero statue. The Professor Layton team needed refreshing puzzles that utilize the Nintendo Switch’s 3D space.
When the series hit 3D for the first time on Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, Level-5 did not take advantage of the 3DS’ control scheme. The 3D was either reserved for minigames or the top screen’s 3D vision on the puzzle screen. Until their mobile mystery game, Layton Brothers, 3D interaction was used for crime investigations.
Puzzle 002 requires players to fully interact with the statue to find anything suspicious. The solution is to tap on the statue until you see its eyes moving. You will also hear sounds of grunting. The statue is animated in real time for the player to spot its movement.
Professor Layton and Luke Will Return on 2026
The New World of Steam’s TGS 2025 trailer revealed that Level-5 has officially delayed it to 2026. The Professor Layton team published an official statement on their website:
“[We sincerely apologize to all the fans] who have been looking forward to the release of Professor Layton and the New World of Steam. Although the release was originally scheduled for 2025, the launch has been rescheduled for next year. [We want to deliver the game at its best, and appreciate your understanding and support.]”
It’s currently unknown if the delay was caused by the generative AI criticism or if the game showed signs of needed patches. It’s almost hard to believe that Hershel and Luke’s next adventure will be the last game that is mostly made by the developer’s human hands.
