Capcom to rework RE Engine for AI-assisted development under REX project
In short
Capcom said it will modernise its RE Engine step by step under a project called REX so the engine supports AI-assisted development, rather than building a new engine from scratch. The company's programmer Satoshi Ishida said the engine now has more than 2,000 active users and that AI should help test games and find bugs. 3DNews reported that some REX components, including RE:Dox and RE:Log, have already been released as open source.
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Capcom plans to modernise its RE Engine under a project called REX so that the engine can support AI-assisted game development. The company's programmer Satoshi Ishida presented the project at the Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026, according to 3DNews and iXBT, and Igromania reported that the engine is to be turned into one with AI support in stages. Capcom decided to upgrade the existing engine rather than build a new one from scratch, 3DNews reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to 3DNews, Ishida set out three problems behind the project: modern games have grown so large that loading assets, working in editors and building scripts take ever more time; the number of active RE Engine users has passed 2,000, so the tools must suit developers with different levels of experience; and the environment needs to be prepared for wider use of AI agents in testing games and quality control. iXBT also reported that more than 2,000 developers from different countries work on RE Engine. [ 2 , 3 ]
On the AI side, Capcom expects the technology to understand and generate program code, test games automatically and help find errors. To that end it is changing the architecture of its tools: RE:Dox unifies work with data in different formats, RE:UI is to speed up development tools, RE:Flows turns visual schemas into ordinary code, and an updated RE:Runtime is to handle large groups of characters more efficiently, iXBT reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
3DNews reported that some components of REX have already been released as open source, including the RE:Dox structured-data system and the RE:Log logging tools, and that Capcom hopes the open code will also be useful for training AI to work with these technologies. [ 2 ]
The documents place limits on what is being announced. 3DNews reported a clarification that the project concerns an “engine for the AI era” rather than an engine that generates games by itself, meaning the plans cover use of AI by developers and automation of technical operations rather than replacing people in creating game content. iXBT said this matches Capcom's earlier position: in June the company told investors it uses generative AI to make routine operations more efficient so developers can spend more time on creative work, while stressing that creativity at the heart of games should remain with people. [ 2 , 3 ]
iXBT noted that RE Engine has been used by Capcom since 2017, when Resident Evil 7 was released on it, and has since become the basis of almost all of the company's major projects. None of the documents give a schedule, budget or completion date for the REX project. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
RE Engine is the basis of almost all of Capcom's major projects since Resident Evil 7 in 2017, so changes to it shape how the publisher's future titles are built. The company frames AI as a tool for routine operations and testing, with creative work left to people, placing it among studios that are adopting AI in production while saying it will not replace human designers.
Key facts
- Capcom announced a project called REX to modernise its RE Engine so it can support AI-assisted development. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Programmer Satoshi Ishida presented the project at the Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026 and set out three problems: the growing scale of games, more than 2,000 active RE Engine users, and the need to prepare for wider use of AI agents in testing and quality control. [ 2 ]
- Capcom said it will upgrade the existing engine in stages instead of building a new engine from scratch. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The stated goals include AI that can understand and generate code, test games automatically and help find errors. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Named components in the overhaul include RE:Dox for structured data, RE:UI for faster development tools, RE:Flows for turning visual schemas into code, and an updated RE:Runtime for handling large groups of characters. [ 2 , 3 ]
- RE:Dox and RE:Log have already been published as open source, and Capcom said it hopes the open code will also help train AI to work with these technologies, according to 3DNews. [ 2 ]
- iXBT reported a clarification that the plan is an “engine for the AI era” rather than an engine that generates games by itself. [ 3 ]
- iXBT reported that in June Capcom told investors it uses generative AI to make routine operations more efficient while creative work should remain with people. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Capcom plans to modernise its RE Engine to support AI-assisted development under the REX project. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Capcom says the number of active RE Engine users has passed 2,000. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Capcom intends to use AI for automated testing of games and finding errors. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Capcom will upgrade the existing engine in stages rather than build a new one from scratch. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The project was discussed publicly at a Capcom technical conference. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The date of the Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026 presentation. Only iXBT states the conference took place on 2 October; the other two documents give no date, and the earliest of them was published on 3 October.
- Which REX components have been released as open source. Only 3DNews names RE:Dox and RE:Log as already published with open source code; iXBT lists component names but does not say they are open source.
- Whether AI will be used to generate game content. 3DNews reports the clarification about an “engine for the AI era” rather than an engine that generates games, and its article text is cut off mid-sentence; the other documents do not settle the question.
- The schedule, cost or completion date of the REX project. None of the documents give a timeline or budget, and Capcom's stated approach is gradual modernisation.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Igromania reports that Capcom has announced large-scale changes to RE Engine, which it plans to turn gradually into an engine with AI support under the multi-stage REX modernisation project (3 October). [ 1 ]
- 3DNews publishes a detailed account of the Capcom Open Conference RE: 2026, including programmer Satoshi Ishida's description of the REX project, the three problems it addresses, the component names and the open-source releases (3 October). [ 2 ]
- iXBT reports the project name and component details and states that the conference took place on 2 October (4 October). [ 3 ]