Kazuma Kaneko Confirms New COLOPL Game Without AI-Based Mechanics

Kazuma Kaneko is talking again, and vaya, fans are paying close attention. The longtime artist tied to Persona and Megami Tensei shared that he already has another game in the works at COLOPL. More importantly, he made one thing clear: the new title is not being planned around AI-based mechanics.

That short comment hit hard because Kaneko’s recent COLOPL projects sparked plenty of debate. Some players were excited. Others were uneasy. And yes, a few were probably like, “puchica, here we go again.”

A new project is already moving

Kaneko explained that the next game is not just an idea floating in the air. He said he is already preparing an official project inside COLOPL to get it going. That means the concept has moved past wishful thinking and into real internal planning.

For fans who were worried his future work would keep leaning on AI-driven systems, this is the part that matters most. His statement points to a different direction. Simple and direct.

Why this matters so much

The reaction comes from what happened with Tsukuyomi. Since joining COLOPL, Kaneko worked on Tsukuyomi: The Divine Hunter, released in May 2025, and later on Kazuma Kaneko’s Tsukuyomi, an offline rebuilt version released in April 2026.

Both titles were tied to generative AI in some form. That became a headache for part of the fanbase. Not because Kaneko’s name is small. Quite the opposite. When a creator with that kind of legacy touches AI-related tools, people notice fast.

How the two Tsukuyomi games used AI

The live-service version

Tsukuyomi: The Divine Hunter used a system that generated new in-game cards from player behavior and choice logs. Those AI-generated cards existed alongside cards drawn by Kaneko by hand.

COLOPL’s setup for that game reportedly trained the model only on Kaneko’s own artwork, plus a reinforcement process with human feedback. Even so, concerns popped up after launch when some generated designs appeared too close to existing copyrighted works.

That kind of issue is exactly why AI in games keeps causing drama. One weird output and boom, everyone is side-eyeing the whole project.

The offline version

Kazuma Kaneko’s Tsukuyomi removed the live custom card generation system. So no ongoing AI card creation during play. But it still kept some cards originally generated by the first game’s AI model.

In other words, the second version stepped back from the feature, but it did not fully cut ties with that material.

Kaneko says people misunderstood his role

Kaneko also addressed the criticism more personally. He said he feels troubled because many people seem to misunderstand him. His point was blunt: he participated in a game that used AI mechanics, but he did not use AI for his own artwork.

That distinction matters a lot to him. He appears to be separating two things clearly: the game system that produced certain card outputs, and the illustrations he created himself by hand.

For artists, that line is not minor. It is the whole tortilla, not just the curtido. One thing is working on a project with AI-related features. Another is replacing your own craft with AI output. Kaneko is saying those are not the same.

What fans can take from this

If you were uncomfortable with how Tsukuyomi handled AI, this update should bring some relief. Kaneko’s next COLOPL title is being framed without AI-based gameplay mechanics at its core. That does not answer every question yet, but it does set a very different tone.

Right now, there is no title, no release window, and no full gameplay breakdown. Still, the message is enough to shift expectations. Fans now know the next step is not just more of the same.

A creator still under the spotlight

Kaneko remains one of the most recognizable names connected to Japanese RPG art and demon design. Because of that, even a short post can shake the room. His comments also land at a time when AI use in game development keeps growing. A 2024 industry survey from GDC reported that around 1 in 3 developers said they were already using generative AI tools in some way. So this is not a tiny side issue. It is a real pressure point across the industry.

For now, the key takeaway is simple: Kazuma Kaneko has a new game planned at COLOPL, and he says it will not rely on AI mechanics. After the noise around Tsukuyomi, that is the part fans were waiting to hear.