Capcom, the developer behind Resident Evil and Street Fighter, has clarified its stance on artificial intelligence and unveiled plans to use the technology to incrementally enhance its proprietary RE Engine. During its annual recruitment conference held October 2, programmer Satoshi Ishida detailed how the studio intends to evolve the engine through a program known as REX (short for RE Next Engine), outlining an approach that leans on AI tools to streamline development rather than replace the engine outright.
The announcement comes in response to growing industry concerns about production costs and timelines. In an exclusive conversation with IGN, Capcom confirmed that modern titles have become increasingly colossal undertakings, requiring immense amounts of time and resources to bring to market. With AI advancing rapidly, the company saw an opportunity to address these challenges by improving its development tools, testing game code on behalf of staff, and analyzing large volumes of data—measures designed to make teams more efficient rather than automate creative output.
An Incremental Approach Through REX
Rather than discarding the RE Engine and building a new one from scratch, Ishida explained that Capcom will take a series of measured steps to improve it piece by piece. The studio’s vision for REX is to fold these AI-driven efficiencies into the next iteration of the engine, giving developers access to what Capcom calls the strongest tools available so games can be made faster without compromising quality.
The plan includes using AI to speed up processes and support development teams across multiple disciplines. This marks a notable evolution for an engine that has powered some of the most visually demanding titles in recent memory, including upgraded performance features such as the PSSR upscaler showcased alongside PS5 Pro comparison screenshots.
No Generative AI Inside Capcom Games
In its clarification, Capcom drew a firm line between using AI to improve development workflows and deploying it to generate in-game content. The company explicitly stated that it has no plans to use generative AI—the kind that produces assets based on text prompts—in the creation of its games. Any AI integrated with the RE Engine will serve solely to accelerate processes and boost team efficiency.
This position was first articulated during a shareholders’ meeting in March, when Capcom was asked directly about its intentions regarding artificial intelligence in products. The company reaffirmed that stance through an IGN spokesperson, noting that developers were facing mounting pressure as games grew larger and more complex—pressures that prompted the studio to rethink how it builds titles with the RE Engine.
“We will not implement assets generated by AI into our games. 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.”
Capcom
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