Capcom to evolve RE Engine into AI-assisted toolkit

Capcom plans to evolve its RE Engine into what programmer Satoshi Ishida called an "AI-generation game engine."

Ishida set out the plan at the Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026, as part of a company initiative called REX. The goal, he said, is a future where "we create games together with AI" Video Games Chronicle.

RE Engine is Capcom's in-house toolkit for making games. It is the shared software that handles graphics, sound, physics and other core tasks, so teams do not rebuild those systems for each release. It debuted with Resident Evil 7 in 2017. Capcom has released nearly 30 titles with it since.

The REX work starts with language. Capcom will move to a more common programming language, the code system developers use to instruct computers. A widely used language is easier for AI systems to read and learn. That makes it simpler for AI to assist with writing and checking code. Modern games can involve millions of lines of code, where a small error can cause a crash.

Ishida said that assistance could include automatically creating programs and running test plays to check for bugs. A bug is a flaw that makes a game freeze, crash or behave oddly. Test plays are automated run-throughs, where software plays sections of a game to find those faults before release. It is slow work. It is repetitive. It suits automation.

Capcom also plans to make some of its technologies publicly available on the internet. Other developers and researchers could then use them to help train AI systems. Training here means feeding an AI system examples so it learns patterns it can apply to new tasks. Ishida did not detail which tools would be shared, or on what timetable.

Capcom drew a clear boundary around art. Vice-president Shinichi Inoue said the company views AI "not for creating art, but for unleashing the potential of creators". He said Capcom was not using AI tools to generate art. The focus, in other words, is on production chores such as code and checks.

For anyone picking up a controller, the change sits behind the screen. An engine never appears on the box. It shapes how a team builds, tests and fixes a game before it reaches shops and storefronts, the online shops where games are sold. Players would feel any effect in how games are made, rather than in what is listed in the credits.