Summary
Capcomtechnical director Kazuki Abe shares that he has developed a system that relies on generative AI for some aspects of game development.Capcomhas plenty of projects in development at the moment, which means that its team of developers has their work cut out. Executives at the company seem to be interested in finding ways to streamline the development process while cutting costs.
Generative AI has been floating around in the tech world with a variety of impressions on its use. Developers likeKen Levine believe AI may be best used on busywork, while it’s taken a more prominent role in other studios' projects. The team ofThe Finalshas received criticism for using AI-generated voices for characters in the game, but over at Capcom, it looks like generative AI has been applied to the process of brainstorming.
In an interview withGoogle Cloud Japan(translated byAutomaton), Capcom technical director Kazuki Abe shares that the company has been experimenting with the use of generative AI, appearing to matchthe changing tune of companies like Square Enix. Abe explains that using generative AI has specifically helped with creating “hundreds of thousands of unique ideas” for environments in video games, using a television as an example, noting that to include the device in a fictional world, aspects like its logo and details must be created from the ground up.
Capcom Develops Prototype for Generative AI System
Abe describes the process, emphasizing the amount of work that goes into drafting a proposal for each of the tens of thousands of objects included in any given video game, whether it’s a TV orvarious infamousResident Evil 2assets. Because it’s an exhaustive amount of work, this is why Kazuki Abe has developed a prototype system that relies on “generative AI models like Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash, and Imagen,” giving ideas for items and environments based on what it learns about the game, then assessing these concepts based on the criteria it’s already been fed. Capcom’s dev teams have reportedly given this system “glowing feedback” so far.
Notably, this AI system seemingly has not been used to develop any gameplay, story, or character design elements, based on Automaton’s report. Still, it’s unclear how far generative AI’s involvement in development will be taken at Capcom or other game studios. It’s clear thatusing generative AI is controversial in gamingfor many reasons, but especially because of the belief that it may dampen creativity. It’s a tool many gamers and developers alike have spoken out against, while others have found it useful in its own right. So far, developers who are using these tools seem to be in agreement that AI helps diminish the amount of tedium in their work, but the jury may still be out on it altogether.
