Capcom's RE Engine Will Eventually Be An "AI-Generation Game Engine"

Capcom Sadly Plans To Turn The RE Engine Into An "AI-Generation Game Engine" Published Oct 3, 2026, 8:11 AM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Sign in to your TheGamer account During a tech conference, a Capcom studio programmer confirmed that the long-term goal for the RE Engine is for it to become an “AI-generation game engine”. I probably don’t need to tell you that Capcom has unarguably been one of the most successful and productive developers over the last few console generations. Ever since Resident Evil 7 revitalised the studio, it hasn’t really taken a wrong step thanks to gems like Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and nearly every single Resident Evil game. One of the big reasons for Capcom’s success is its in-house RE Engine, which has been used for all of the studio’s games since Resi 7. Although the RE Engine has clearly been a big driver for Capcom’s winning streak, it sadly sounds like it’s headed in a bad direction, as the studio has plans for it to heavily integrate AI technology. The RE Engine Has Some Big Plans For Generative AI Capcom Thinks It’s “Essential” To Streamlining Development Although a growing number of developers over the past year and a bit have admitted to using AI in some form during development, it’s still seen as a bit of a taboo that many seem to be avoiding or downplaying for now. Capcom previously said that it uses AI to “free up time for creative work”, but that it wasn’t going to be shipping anything with AI-generated assets. That viewpoint seems to have changed, though. As pointed out by IGN and originally reported by Japanese news outlet GameBiz, Capcom had its own tech conference yesterday, with programmer Satoshi Ishida giving a presentation about the major changes coming to the RE Engine through an improvement plan called “REX”. Ishida noted that Capcom is struggling with how big and time-consuming games have become, which requires more staff and an easier-to-use engine. With that in mind, RE Engine is planned to integrate AI technology “into development workflows” as an “essential condition for streamlining future development”. REX was made to help with that, as Capcom wanted to build upon the RE Engine instead of just creating something new. GameBiz’s report goes into all the changes, but a key takeaway is that Capcom is making some of REX’s improvements open-source to train AI and that it eventually wants the engine to be an “AI-generation game engine”. While that does sound like a long-term plan for the studio and engine instead of something that’s going to happen overnight, it does make Capcom’s stance pretty clear on the role of AI in gaming development. Let’s just hope that Capcom at least keeps its promise about not including generative AI assets in the games themselves. Date Founded June 11, 1983 CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto Subsidiaries Capcom Taiwan, Capcom U.S.A., Capcom Vancouver, Capcom Division 1, Capcom Production Studio 4, Capcom Production Studio 1, Capcom Production Studio 2, Capcom Production Studio 3, Capcom Maintenance Service Co., Ltd. Headquarters Osaka, Osaka, Japan