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Capcom to Use AI for Faster Game Development
ReCapcom to Use AI for Faster Game Development
Capcom plans to integrate artificial intelligence into its RE Engine through a project called REX, aiming to streamline quality assurance and other development tasks without replacing human creativity.
Capcom has announced plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into its game development process, aiming to shorten the lengthy cycles required to produce major titles. The project, called REX, was revealed by programmer Satoshi Ishida at a technology conference over the weekend. It will integrate AI and machine learning into the company's proprietary RE Engine, which powers its biggest franchises.
The initiative comes after the successful launch of Resident Evil Requiem earlier this year. The survival horror game has sold more than 8.5 million copies, generating revenues exceeding $500 million and reigniting interest in the 30-year-old franchise. However, like many AAA games, it took six years to develop and underwent a reboot midway through production. Capcom hopes AI can help maintain momentum by streamlining parts of the development process.
At its core, REX consists of six separate programs designed to create what Ishida described as a «game engine of the AI generation.» One system could animate groups of objects or characters together rather than having those animations run individually in real time. Another would convert game-mechanics ideas into a standardized programming language. Since the RE Engine is used by developers in several countries, that common language could also accelerate development.
Capcom is not planning to use AI to generate creative elements such as game assets. Instead, the project addresses a broader industry problem: development cycles are getting longer, and the company hopes AI can streamline tasks like quality assurance testing and other efficiencies. The company did not respond to a request for further comment about REX, but it addressed its stance on AI during a shareholders meeting in March. «We will not implement assets generated by AI into our games,» the company said. «However, we plan to proactively use it as a contributing technology to improve the efficiency and productivity of the game development process. To this end, we are currently exploring ways to implement it in various areas, including graphics, sound and programming.»
This is not Capcom's first experiment with AI. In January 2025, it created a prototype «idea generation» system alongside Google that used generative AI to help brainstorm ideas. «One of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive aspects of game development is brainstorming ideas to create the game's world,» Capcom technical director Kazuki Abe said at the time. «For example, if there's a television in the game's environment, we can't just use an existing product. We need to come up with the shape, manufacturer's logo, and other details ourselves.» The companies said the system lowered the cost of brainstorming, helping improve margins.
Capcom is hardly alone in incorporating AI into its workflow. Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said in April that AI technology has augmented jobs at the company rather than replaced them. «I saw some data recently, I think, now almost all—like 85%—of our quality assurance [work] is done with some kind of machine learning or AI-driven algorithm,» he said. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software, said his company is exploring what advantages AI can offer. «Anything that allows us to do a better job—quicker and cheaper—we're interested,» he told Fast Company at the ESA's iicon conference earlier this year. «What we are beginning to see is mundane work that can easily be replaced by technology is indeed being replaced [and] people turn their attention to higher value tasks.»
As the video game industry continues to undergo a painful contraction, with many studios cutting staff, almost any use of AI is likely to create tension among game makers. As AI advances and becomes capable of doing more, executives could eventually have to reconsider whether some positions are necessary. Zelnick acknowledges that possibility, though he argues that properly implementing the technology can instead eliminate low-value work. «I have an obligation to run an efficient enterprise,» Zelnick said. «We have not seen any opportunity to reduce headcount because of AI. What we have seen is an opportunity to stop wasting time on things that don't create value.»
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