Capcom says it will use generative AI to speed up production
Capcom is planning to actively use generative AI (gen-AI) to "improve efficiency and productivity of game development."
The company shared this insight during an informational briefing session for investors held last month. The summary, first reported by GameSpark and translated by Automaton, includes Capcom's stance on the use of gen-AI — a technology that has carried a negative reception from developers during the past few years, with many arguing that it is having a deleterious impact on the industry.
"Our company will not be implementing any AI-generated assets into our video game content," Capcom wrote in the briefing session summary, per Automaton's translation. "On the other hand, going forward, we plan to actively utilize this technology in order to improve efficiency and productivity of game development. That is why we are currently testing out various methods of usage across our departments, including graphics, sound, and programming."
This isn't the first time Capcom has discussed the idea of using gen-AI. Last year, in an interview with Google Cloud Japan, Capcom technical director Kazuki Abe said the tech could mitigate the labor-intensive task of coming up with the "hundreds of thousands of unique ideas" needed to create in-game environments (via Automaton).
Abe said he developed a system that uses gen-ai models like Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash, and Imagen, which is fed text, images, and tables about the game being developed, generating ideas and evaluating their quality against predetermined criteria.
According to Abe, the Gemini AI models are able to deliver high-quality results in seconds, which is "an essential advantage in the fast-paced gaming industry." According to him, the prototype for said system apparently received glowing feedback from Capcom's development teams at the time.
Last year, Capcom shared a glimpse at its current development staff structure, unveiling that roughly half of the development staff is focused on character animation and visual effects. Rather than speaking about gen-AI, the company emphasized the importance of bolstering new graduates who have grown up amid the changes of the game industry over the past 10 to 20 years. The company said such support is essential for "adapting to an increasingly global and digital market environment."
Examples of gen-AI use are becoming more frequent. Just this weekend, Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss confirmed some assets were created using "experimental AI generative tools." It's the latest in an assortment of studios that have issued similar apologies, including Ubisoft and 11 Bit Studios last year, claiming that said tools were used in early stages of production and the developers forgot to remove or replace them before the game's launch.
