During a recent three-hour hands-on session with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse in Paris, we sat down with the developers to pull back the curtain on the game’s production. Beyond the fascinating origins of the partnership between Konami and Evil Empire—the full story of which can be found here—we were keen to address a hot-button industry topic: the role of generative AI in modern development. Their response was clear: this project is a human-led endeavor, entirely free of synthetic generation.
Our conversation featured a panel of key figures: Konami producer Tsutomu Taniguchi, alongside Evil Empire’s marketing director Bérenger Dupré and creative director Emmanuel Nouaille. When asked directly about the use of artificial intelligence in the game’s creation, the team offered a definitive “no.”
“From Konami’s perspective, we haven’t utilized AI,” Taniguchi explained via a translator. “While the future of the technology remains uncertain, we don’t have a rigid internal policy on it—but for this project, it simply wasn’t part of the process.”
Dupré added a touch of levity to the discussion, admitting, “I do personally use AI to polish my English grammar,” which drew lighthearted laughter from the group before Nouaille provided a more formal artistic perspective.
“To address the game itself: no AI,” Nouaille emphasized. “Maintaining this standard was vital for our team, the dedicated fanbase, and the industry at large. What matters most right now is authentic creation—pouring our own soul into the work. While I hold no inherent bias against AI, it had no place in the development of this specific project.”
We will be diving much deeper into Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, featuring exclusive concept art and comprehensive hands-on impressions, in the upcoming issue of Game Informer, arriving on July 21. Players can expect to embark on the journey when the game hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC on October 15.
