Capcom has unveiled ambitious plans to transform its in-house RE Engine into what it is calling an “AI-generation game engine,” a major overhaul the studio says will reshape how future titles are built. The announcement came yesterday, on 2 October, at the Capcom Open Conference RE:2026 event, where programmer Satoshi Ishida detailed the scope of the initiative he dubbed the REX Project.
The RE Engine has been in development since 2014 and made its debut with Resident Evil 7 back in 2017. Since then it has powered roughly 30 Capcom titles across franchises including Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, and Street Fighter. Ishida’s presentation outlined how the studio intends to modernise that foundation so AI can be woven directly into the development pipeline rather than treated as an afterthought.
The three challenges driving REX
Ishida framed the overhaul around three specific problems facing modern game development. First, games have grown so large in scope and data volume that build and iteration times are slowing teams down. Second, RE Engine is now used by more than 2,000 developers worldwide, including international staff and people transitioning from other engines, which demands better multilingual and accessibility support. Third, he argued that AI must be built into the pipeline itself rather than bolted on as a separate tool.
To address these issues, Capcom plans to bundle several new systems into the REX Project. RE:Dox aims to standardise data processing across formats, while RE:UI seeks to speed up development tools by separating appearance from state. A third component, RE:Log, replaces text-based logging with an ID-based system designed to run more efficiently.
New tooling and a runtime overhaul
The presentation also covered RE:Flows, a visual scripting tool that automatically converts into standard code, alongside RE:Runtime, a reworked runtime core built around batch processing for large numbers of characters. Supporting this is a new optimised execution layer called RE:C++. Ishida described his goal as creating an engine where AI can understand and generate code, run automated test plays to catch bugs, and support development directly.
The vision we are working toward is one where teams create games together with AI. We have already open-sourced some of the underlying technology to help with AI training.
Satoshi Ishida, Capcom
Community reaction has been largely positive, though many developers noted that integrating AI into a live engine used by thousands of studios carries real technical complexity. The emphasis on open-sourcing underlying technology suggests Capcom hopes to build broader industry support around the initiative.
Looking ahead
The announcement follows comments Capcom made back in June, when it told investors its use of generative AI was intended “to improve the efficiency of routine operations so that our developers can devote more time to essential value creation,” while stressing that “the creativity at the core of such experiences should be handled by humans”. The studio has not yet confirmed a release window for when REX-powered titles will appear, but the move signals Capcom’s intent to lead an industry shift toward AI-assisted development.
In related news, Monster Hunter Wilds‘ upcoming Switch 2 port, with all its free DLC updates including new monsters, will be available on 4 December. It is set to arrive with local co-op.
1 comment