Epic Games shifts to AI development

Epic Games, known for its Unreal Engine and popular titles like Fortnite, has confirmed it is reorienting its focus toward artificial intelligence. The company aims to make Unreal Engine a tool for AI development, use generative AI to create game assets, and update its End User License Agreement to allow AI training from generated results.

Epic Games' background and Unreal Engine

Epic Games is an American developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. It created Unreal Engine, a widely used game engine that powers its own games and those of other developers. The company also owns several studios and has a significant market presence, with a market capitalization of $32 billion in 2022.

Epic's new launcher and 'vibe coding'

Epic Games recently launched a preliminary version of its new game launcher, claiming it is faster than Steam in several aspects. The company developed this launcher using a method it calls "vibe coding," which relies on intuition rather than traditional programming approaches. This method, according to Epic, allowed for a faster and more responsive tool.

AI's role in Unreal Engine development

Epic Games has confirmed that AI is being used to develop and enhance Unreal Engine itself. Marcus Wassmer, executive vice president of development, stated that AI tools have helped eliminate long-standing issues in the engine, such as "non-deterministic calculation bugs." These tools also assist in monitoring the stability of Fortnite on PC, identifying problematic hardware and driver combinations.

Epic's stance on AI concerns

Despite concerns among some game developers about the use of generative AI, Wassmer believes the benefits for Epic Games outweigh any potential issues. He emphasized that the company is more worried about slow progress than skepticism toward AI. According to Wassmer, AI will soon be essential in software development, making games and tools better and more responsive to user feedback.