Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii releases AI-generated game made in 30 minutes

Yuji Horii, 72, released Interrogation Room Komiya using generative AI prompts. He said production took about 30 minutes, with no manual coding or art. Horii contrasted this with his 1983 Portopia Serial Murder Case, written and programmed solo. The contrast signals faster, cheaper pre-production for Square Enix's RPG pipeline.

Horii, who co-owns Dragon Quest via Armor Project, used only text prompts.
He needed no artist or programmer to ship Interrogation Room Komiya.
"And now, by using AI, even if I can't draw pictures or program, I can just give instructions to the AI and create a decent game all by myself." - Yuji Horii, Dragon Quest creator
That reverses his unaided 1983 Portopia process across story, art and code.

Square Enix added Chatty Slimey, a Gemini-powered chatbot, to Dragon Quest X this year.
At G-Star 2025, Horii described wanting AI-run interrogations where players question suspects through chat.
Interrogation Room Komiya applies that exact mechanic as a working prototype.
Horii is also attached to Dragon Quest 12 and the 2027 Portopia remake.

Japan ruled in 2023 that training AI on datasets doesn't violate copyright, even commercially.
A JOGA survey found 100% of surveyed Japanese online game developers use generative AI tools.
That scope covers only domestic online games, excluding console, PC and offline mobile titles.
This legal and adoption backdrop frames why Square Enix tests AI narrative tools in public.

For Publishers & Developers: Gate greenlights on prompt-built playable prototypes before staffing art or engineering teams.
For Investors & VC: Add AI-asset copyright exposure in Western markets to diligence on Japanese studios' global releases.
For Service Vendors: Pitch production-grade polish and QA for AI-generated prototypes to Japanese RPG studios.