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| Resident Evil Requiem banner with Leon |
As generative AI sweeps across the gaming industry, each major announcement is met with a mix of excitement and apprehension. The latest title in the iconic survival horror series, Resident Evil Requiem, is no exception. Following earlier, broader statements from Capcom about embracing new technology, Executive Jun Takeuchi has now drawn a clearer line in the sand about the role AI will play—specifically, who remains in control.
Setting the Record Straight: AI as a Partner, Not a Puppeteer
Jun Takeuchi, a veteran producer on titles like Resident Evil 5 and *7*, now holds a position of significant oversight at Capcom. In a recent interview with Nikkei Entertainment!, translated and summarized by the fan outlet Project Umbrella on social media, Takeuchi addressed the burning question head-on.
When asked about the integration of AI tools, Takeuchi was pragmatic. He highlighted their practical benefits: significantly reducing development time, proving invaluable for debugging, and efficiently upscaling the visual fidelity of in-game scenes. However, he was emphatic in his caution. “The technology isn’t replacing humans at Capcom’s studios,” he asserted. Instead, he framed AI as an increasingly indispensable tool within the artist’s toolkit—a means to handle tedious tasks, not to drive creative vision.
This clarification arrives amidst lingering fan concern over the potential for generic, machine-generated assets to dilute the carefully crafted atmosphere of AAA titles like Resident Evil. The concern wasn't unfounded; earlier this year, in a January 2025 interview, Technical Director Kazuki Abe appeared more bullish, presenting AI as a powerful accelerator for game design.
In Nikkei Entertainment! (Nov.2025) CAPCOM executive & BIO producer Jun Takeuchi talks about the current global strategy for the series after BIO6 & BIO7. He also mentions their views on AI & remakes.
— Project Umbrella RE:Digest (@project_umb) December 16, 2025
(thread ↓)#REBHFun pic.twitter.com/IHJdgBQYHf
How AI is Already Quietly Shaping Raccoon City
So, what is AI actually doing at Capcom right now? The details, revealed in a Google Cloud Japan article covered by IGN, are telling. Kazuki Abe explained that developers are using generative AI models, such as Gemini Pro and Imagen, to generate “hundreds of thousands of unique ideas” to populate game environments.
The application is specific: creating variations of common objects like televisions, furniture, or clutter—assets that are essential for building a believable world but are notoriously time-consuming for artists to model en masse. As Abe’s system demonstrates, the focus is on scale and efficiency for background content.
For those following the conversation, Project Umbrella’s translation of Takeuchi's interview provides crucial context, which you can find here.
Critically, Capcom has not yet tasked AI with core creative duties like character design or narrative writing. Yet, the industry trend is clear. Titles like Arc Raiders and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 have begun employing AI for voiceover synthesis and environmental artwork. As development cycles intensify, it seems inevitable that AI’s role will expand in future Resident Evil projects.
The Road Ahead: Requiem, Remakes, and Reliance on Tech
With the Resident Evil Requiem release date set for February 27, 2026, all eyes will be on how these tools are applied. Will the horror feel handcrafted, or will players detect a synthetic sheen? Takeuchi’s comments suggest a commitment to the former.
Beyond Requiem, the executive stressed his preference for more remakes of classic Resident Evil games. This strategy serves a dual purpose: satisfying longtime fans and allowing new players to experience the series’ sprawling lore without feeling lost. As Capcom’s output increases—juggling new entries, remakes, and live-service projects—the company will undeniably lean more on AI for production efficiency.
The takeaway for fans? Capcom’s leadership sees AI not as an autonomous creative force, but as the industry’s most powerful assistant. It’s a sophisticated power washer for debugging, a high-speed brush for filling in backgrounds, but not the architect of your nightmares. For Resident Evil Requiem and beyond, the heart of the horror, it seems, will still very much be human.
For more details on Capcom's AI experiments for in-game content, you can read the original IGN report here.