PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 01: Gamers play the video game ‘Street Fighter 6’ developed and published by Capcom during Paris Games Week 2022 at Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles on November 1, 2022 in Paris, France. After a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Paris Games Week is making a comeback in Paris. The event celebrating video games and esports will be held from November 2 to 6, 2022. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
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Japanese game developer Capcom is known for video games such as Resident Evil, Marvel vs. Capcom and Street Fighter, but not only wants to conquer the hearts of gamers, but also those of moviegoers.
At the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, Japan, Chief Operating Officer Haruhiro Tsujimoto told CNBC that Capcom’s strength in games is its ability to sell both new and old titles.
Tsujimoto pointed out that Capcom releases new game titles every year for already existing franchises, such as Street Fighter and Resident Evil, “indicates that we have a strong and high-quality catalog.”
However, the company also released a sequel to the action role-playing game Dragon’s Dogma after more than 10 years. Tsujimoto told CNBC’s Will Kouloris that the approach is “one of our most important strategies” and that it “leads to the continued sales of our brands that we have released in the past.”
![Capcom will continue to develop game and film production: president and COO](https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107304943-16953620801695362078-31295421409-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1695363145&w=750&h=422&vtcrop=y)
Capcom is no stranger to the film industry, having seen a live-action film Street Fighter in 1994 and Resident Evil having made seven films since 1997.
“Capcom was one of the first companies to merge the gaming business with the cinema sector,” said Tsujimoto. “We’ve seen the synergistic effects of this, with movies selling well and games selling well, when a game is turned into a movie.”
We’ve experienced the synergistic effects of this, with movies selling well and games selling well, when a game is made into a movie.
Haruhiro Tsujimoto
Capcom’s Chief Operating Officer
As such, the company is deepening its foray into the film industry by establishing Capcom Pictures in Hollywood in 2022, and this film production company will look to produce more films there.
“Our company will continue to evolve in the future. Our strategy is to continue to develop both game production and film production and take digital entertainment to new heights by allowing these companies to not only compete but also encourage each other.”
AI in games?
While generative artificial intelligence has been touted as the next big thing in the technology industry, with the potential to create text, images and even videos, it may not come to the game development industry anytime soon.
Tsujimoto said that integrating AI into game development is a “tricky situation” in which “many issues need to be addressed before we can actually integrate generative AI into our operations.”
On Wednesday, Hisashi Koinuma, president and chief operating officer of Koei Tecmo Games, echoed the same sentiment.
![Visitors play the Warriors All-Stars video game at the Koei Tecmo Holdings booth during the Tokyo Game Show 2017 at Makuhari Messe on September 21, 2017 in Chiba, Japan.](https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107304212-1695266512538-gettyimages-850539202-97606932.jpeg?v=1695276376&w=160&h=90)
He told CNBC that challenges still remain in using generative AI in game development.
“We are still researching and studying how and to what extent generative AI, including rights-related issues, will benefit game production, and how much it will contribute to making better games.”
However, Camcom’s Tsujimoto emphasized that generative AI can be used to improve workforce and development efficiency – but the company is still researching its use for game development.
The COO said this will not be done by reducing the number of developers, but by improving the efficiency of Capcom’s development through more efficient staff allocation and using generative AI.