Capcom, a leading name in the gaming industry, is venturing into the realm of generative AI to revolutionize game development. As the costs associated with creating video games continue to escalate, companies like Capcom are exploring AI technologies to streamline processes and reduce expenses. This approach follows similar moves by other giants in the industry; for instance, Call of Duty introduced an "AI-generated cosmetic" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in late 2023, and EA has declared AI to be at "the very core" of its business strategy.
In a revealing interview with Google Cloud Japan, Kazuki Abe, a technical director at Capcom with experience on major titles such as Monster Hunter: World and Exoprimal, shared insights into the company's AI experiments. Abe pointed out that generating the "hundreds of thousands" of unique ideas needed for in-game environments is one of the most labor-intensive aspects of game development. For example, even simple objects like televisions require individual designs, logos, and shapes, resulting in a massive number of ideas, many of which go unused.
To address this challenge, Abe developed an innovative system that leverages generative AI to read game design documents and produce a multitude of creative ideas. This system not only accelerates the development process but also refines its output through self-feedback, enhancing both speed and efficiency. His prototype integrates multiple AI models, including Google Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash, and Imagen, and has garnered positive feedback from Capcom's internal development teams.
The implementation of this AI model is poised to "reduce costs significantly" compared to traditional manual methods, while simultaneously improving the quality of output. At present, Capcom's use of AI is confined to this specific system, ensuring that other critical aspects of game development, such as ideation, gameplay mechanics, programming, and character design, remain the domain of human creativity and expertise.
