Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida has suggested that Japanese studios “can’t replicate” the speed at which games are produced in China, suggesting Chinese studios can hire more people “who can work long hours”.

In an interview with 4Gamer, as translated by Automaton, Yoshida shared his impressions of the Chinese industry, saying: “the development speed in China is amazing [and] they’re also quick at changing personnel, and all of the game development work itself unfolds rapidly”.

“Back when I talked to representatives of miHoYo, we discussed how it would be quite difficult for Japanese developers to make games in the same way miHoYo does. Not to mention the legal problems that would come with it,” Yoshida said.

“I wonder if there are some aspects [of the development process] that Japanese game developers just can’t replicate. One reason why games in China are so strong is because they are made in an environment which allows for hiring a large number of personnel who can work long hours.

“Of course, you never know what might happen in the near future, but looking at the current state of things, I think that’s the biggest factor.”

Last month, a number of Japanese publishers, including Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and others came together as part of CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) to request Open AI cease training AI video generation tool Sora 2 on their collective creative works.

The statement to Open AI, made public via a statement published on the CODA website, requests that CODA members’ works are not used for machine learning without prior permission.