Yuji Hori, co-creator of Dragon Quest, released the new AI-generated game, which he says took 30 minutes to make.
Dragon Quest co-creator Yuji Hori has just released a new game that he says was built (or, should we say, sped up) in about half an hour thanks to gen-AI. Read more
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Dragon Quest co-creator Yuji Hori has just released a new game that he says was built (or, should we say, sped up) in about half an hour thanks to gen-AI.
In an online post from this weekend, the famed game developer recalled how he developed the 1983 Portopia serial murder case largely on his own. "I came up with the story myself, drew the illustrations myself, did the programming myself, and made the game myself," Horii wrote on X.
He adds, "And now, with AI, even if I can't draw pictures or program, I can just give the AI instructions and make a decent game on its own. It's really amazing. By the way, the game below only took about 30 minutes to make. Oh, and don't push the boost button."
In the past, on a PC, when I thought of a story by myself, I made a game with a picture, I programmed it, and I made a game with one person.
— 堀井雄二 (@YujiHorii) October 11, 2026
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Horii's love affair with technology began not long ago. Earlier this year, MMO Dragon Quest 10 teamed up with Google's Gemini AI to power an NPC chatbot called "Chatty Slimey," an in-game character that can talk to players if they're, you know, hungry for human interaction in a multiplayer online RPG. In an interview with Famitsu, translated by GamesRadar, the 72-year-old programmer defended the decision months later: "Because the AI is really smart nowadays, it's fun. No matter what I ask of it, it rarely ever determines things. It's a barrier to AI interaction."
As noted by VGC, Horii is also toying with the idea of an AI-powered chatbot for one of its upcoming games. He's currently busy with Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams and the surprise sequel The Portopia Serial Murder Case, decades in the making.
Generative-AI and its applications in game development have been highly controversial in recent years—with players, developers, and video game actors concerned about job security. Just this month, Google and Unity also announced a completely depressing tool for building AI games.