Capcom says it will use AI to speed up game development times

Capcom saw tremendous success with the launch of Resident Evil Requiem earlier this year. The survival horror game has already sold more than 8.5 million copies, bringing in revenues topping $500 million and reigniting interest in the 30-year-old franchise. Resident Evil Requiem, like any AAA game, took a long time to make, with a development cycle spanning six years and including a reboot midway through production. To help keep up that momentum, Capcom has revealed plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into its game development process. The project is called REX, programmer Satoshi Ishida revealed at a tech conference over the weekend. At its core, six separate programs will help integrate AI and machine learning into the RE Engine, the increasingly long-in-the-tooth proprietary game engine that powers Capcom’s biggest titles. The goal, Ishida said, is to create a “game engine of the AI generation.” To be clear, Capcom isn’t planning to have AI develop creative elements for its games, such as game assets. Instead, the project reflects a broader problem facing the industry: Game development cycles are getting longer, and Capcom hopes AI can streamline parts of the process. …