Capcom is exploring generative AI to streamline the creation of the vast number of design concepts required for its game environments. With escalating video game development costs, game publishers are increasingly turning to AI, a move that remains controversial. Activision, for instance, faced criticism for allegedly using AI to generate assets for Call of Duty titles. EA has even declared AI as "central" to its operations.
In a recent interview with Google Cloud Japan, Capcom's technical director, Kazuki Abe (known for his work on Monster Hunter: World and Exoprimal), detailed the company's AI experimentation. Abe highlighted the significant time and resources dedicated to generating the "hundreds of thousands" of unique ideas needed for game assets. Even seemingly simple objects like televisions necessitate unique designs, logos, and shapes, resulting in a massive volume of concept creation.
To address this efficiency bottleneck, Abe developed a system leveraging generative AI. This system processes game design documents and generates design proposals, including illustrations and text descriptions, accelerating the process and providing iterative feedback for refinement.
Abe's prototype utilizes various AI models, including Google Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash, and Imagen, and has reportedly garnered positive internal feedback. The anticipated outcome is a substantial cost reduction and a potential enhancement in overall design quality compared to manual creation.
Currently, Capcom's AI implementation is focused solely on this concept generation system. Other crucial aspects of game development, such as gameplay design, programming, and character creation, remain firmly under the control of human developers.
