Nvidia DLSS 5 was revealed recently to boos and outcry, as the technology appears to apply an AI “slop” filter over games.
One of those games showcased was Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem, where one of the main characters, Grace, was shown using the new technology.
After reports of developers from Ubisoft and Capcom being blindsided by the DLSS 5 showcase, we now have more concrete details on Capcom’s stance on AI, how it’s used in development, and more importantly, where it isn’t used.
Capcom draws a clear line on generative AI in games
Thanks to a new report from Google Cloud on its collaboration with Capcom, we now have a clearer look at how the company is actually using AI behind the scenes.
In case a Google Cloud collaboration didn’t tip you off, Capcom will be making use of Google’s Gemini AI to help with the development of its games.
Now it is important to mention that rather than replacing developers, Capcom is focusing on one of the most time-intensive parts of development; coming up with ideas.
“One of the most time-consuming elements of game development is to come up with ideas to create a game worldview.”
That workload scales differently according to Capcom, who state:
“In the end, we had to think of hundreds of thousands of ideas, including those that were not used,” Abe explains.
“The time it took for generative AI to analyze the configuration data in the prompt and output it was a few minutes, while Gemini was overwhelmingly fast at just a few seconds, which is a clear advantage in speed-oriented game development.”
Whether you like AI or not, Capcom clearly sees it as a support tool rather than a replacement, with Mr. Abe pointing to its role in helping developers generate ideas more efficiently.
Our company will not be implementing any AI-generated assets into our video game content. 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,” Capcom wrote in the briefing session summary
Briefing summary by Capcom
Capcom does not directly comment on DLSS 5 here. However, it clearly sees AI as having real benefits within the development pipeline.
Rather than using it for content in the final product, Capcom is currently focused on using AI earlier in development to help build out ideas, not to apply an AI filter over finished games.
🗨️Do you accept how Capcom will use AI in its development pipeline?
I’m of the mindset that AI is something we can’t really escape, and I just hope that when it is used, it’s done responsibly and doesn’t come at the cost of developers losing their jobs.
At least in this case, Capcom is being upfront about how it plans to use the technology, and based on what’s been shared, players shouldn’t expect to see AI-generated art showing up in the final game.
With that said, over to you. Let me know your thoughts on how Capcom plans to use AI by leaving a comment, and be sure to take part in the poll below:
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