Resident Evil Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa has said Capcom sees the drama surrounding the DLSS 5 AI version of Grace Ashcroft as “a positive” because it proved Capcom “got the design right” the first time around.
Kumazawa offered a deep dive into the development of the latest entry in the classic survival horror franchise during an interview with Eurogamer. When asked if the team took anything away from the conversation regarding the controversial Nvidia technology, he said the negative reaction only served as proof that fans preferred Grace’s original design.
“The fact a lot of players commented they really liked the original design of Grace and didn’t want to see it changed was a positive,” Kumazawa said without commenting on Capcom’s involvement in the DLSS 5 reveal. “It meant we got the design right [and] points to the fact that Grace quickly established herself as a fan favourite, that people had such strong opinions on her design.”
Grace Ashcroft made her debut in the franchise as one of Resident Evil Requiem’s two playable characters when it launched in February. Despite being paired with the titan that is Leon S. Kennedy, fans quickly fell in love with the part she played in its story. According to Kumazawa, it seems this is also partially why fans rejected the version of her altered by AI that Nvidia revealed in March.
The footage revealed by the tech giant attempted to sell its DLSS 5 update as the next step in gaming visuals but was immediately met with criticism almost entirely across the board. While games like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield were all featured in its reveal video, it was Resident Evil Requiem – specifically Grace Ashcroft – that was established as the face of most fans’ dissatisfaction.
Most compared the DLSS 5 version of the character’s face to the kind of AI filters featured on some social media apps. One popular fan comment at the time said, “This is horrendous like someone put an AI filter on it like that’s not even Grace.”
“I love seeing my comfort character turned into a sloppy AI mess!” another added.
At least some Capcom developers seemingly did not know Nvidia had plans to include Resident Evil Requiem in the DLSS 5 showcase prior to its reveal. Bethesda also later acknowledged the backlash, explaining that its artists would have more control over the technology and would hopefully avoid AI criticisms in the future.
Capcom has said it plans to utilize AI to help it during game development, but will steer clear of generative AI. In the meantime, Kumazawa makes it sound like players don’t need to worry about Grace getting an AI-generated makeover any time soon.
For more on how gamers responded to DLSS 5, you can read about why Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang feels fans are “wrong” about the tech. You can also read up on why we felt DLSS 5 is a slap in the face to the art of video game design. If you’re looking to read more about Resident Evil Requiem, you can check out the PC mod that added the Merchant into the game.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
