Capcom Experimenting With Generative AI to Create 'Hundreds of Thousands of Unique Ideas' Needed to Build In-Game Environments
Capcom is exploring the potential of generative AI to address the massive ideation demands of game development. Creating the "hundreds of thousands" of unique design concepts needed for in-game environments is incredibly time-consuming. With rising development costs, publishers are increasingly turning to AI tools, a move that has sparked both excitement and controversy. Activision, for example, faced criticism for allegedly using AI-generated content in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and previous titles. EA has even declared AI as "the very core" of its business strategy.
In a recent interview with Google Cloud Japan, Capcom's Technical Director Kazuki Abe (a veteran of projects like Monster Hunter: World and Exoprimal) detailed the company's AI experimentation. Abe highlighted the immense workload involved in generating the sheer volume of ideas required for even seemingly minor details. He cited the design of in-game televisions as an example, noting the need for unique designs, logos, and shapes—all multiplied by the thousands of similar objects in a single game. This process, he explained, involves multiple design proposals, each requiring illustrations and textual descriptions for communication with art directors and artists.
To streamline this process, Abe developed a system leveraging generative AI. This system ingests game design documents and generates design concepts, significantly accelerating development and improving efficiency. The AI also provides self-feedback, refining its output iteratively. Abe's prototype, utilizing models like Google Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash, and Imagen, has reportedly received positive internal feedback. The anticipated outcome is a substantial cost reduction and a potential increase in overall quality compared to manual creation.
Currently, Capcom's AI implementation is focused solely on this concept generation system. Other crucial aspects of game development, including gameplay design, programming, and character design, remain firmly in the hands of human developers.
