Capcom has announced significant plans to evolve its RE Engine, the proprietary technology behind titles like Resident Evil and Street Fighter, into an "AI-generation game engine." This initiative, detailed at the recent Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026, aims to address key challenges in modern game development, including the lengthy time required for massive game projects, the need for user-friendly tools for larger teams, and the essential integration of AI for streamlining workflows.
The multi-step improvement project, dubbed 'REX,' is designed to enhance development efficiency, game performance, and overall tool quality. Capcom views a gradual integration of improvements as a more effective approach than developing an entirely new engine from scratch. As part of this effort, certain aspects of the REX program will be made open-source to facilitate AI training.
Capcom's long-term vision is to foster a future where games are "created together with AI." This suggests a focus on leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate and simplify development processes, rather than for wholesale asset or artwork generation. This stance aligns with previous statements from the company, which, in March 2026, publicly declared it would "not implement assets generated by AI into our games" but would "proactively use it as a contributing technology to improve the efficiency and productivity of the game development process" across graphics, sound, and programming.
This development follows other recent announcements from Capcom, including plans for the future of the Resident Evil series, which is being developed along "two tracks" to prepare for when remakes catch up to contemporary game standards. The company has had a productive year, releasing critically acclaimed titles such as Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, alongside upcoming film adaptations of Resident Evil and Street Fighter.