Romeo is a Dead Man uses no generative AI whatsoever, Suda51 assures 

Hot on the heels of Romeo is a Dead Man’s release date announcement and trailer, executive director Goichi “Suda51” Suda has publicy assured fans that the game will not feature any assets made using generative AI. Considering the unique and outlandish nature of Grasshopper Manufacture’s games, it’s highly doubtful that today’s AI would be able to create anything of a similar caliber in the first place.  

Amidst the growing use of AI in video games – including the Japanese industry, veterans like Suda51, Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, and Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto have recently taken a stand on the important role human creativity plays in game development.  

An interesting trait of Romeo is a Dead Man is that, as a way to cut down on development costs, it swaps out AAA-style 3D cutscenes in some places with manga-style moving panel cutscenes. It also features pixel art spaceship interior gameplay sections. All of these are, of course, created by human artists: the panel cutscenes were illustrated by Grasshopper Manufacture concept artists Tadayuki Nomaru and Ren Yamazaki, and the spaceship segments were done in collaboration with pixel animation artist Hattori Graphics. 

In addition to the “no AI-generated stuff” statement, Suda51 also revealed that the developers are working hard to make a Nintendo Switch 2 port of Romeo is a Dead Man possible. Initially announced for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows (Steam), it would be a big loss for a Japanese game studio like Grasshopper Manufacture to neglect their Switch 2 audience. 

Romeo is a Dead Man is set to release on February 11, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows (Steam). A Nintendo Switch 2 version is currently in development.