Fortnite-maker Epic Games makes ‘huge pivot’ with AI, CEO says

• Epic Games is making a “huge pivot” towards AI, CEO Tim Sweeney said, to help teams build “MORE and BETTER stuff” with Unreal Engine.
• Sweeney said AI will help Epic “survive the AI revolution” and make code and content faster, while critics question the move in creative work.
• The shift comes after more than 1,000 layoffs and amid reports that Epic is delaying a Disney game while using an “AI first” approach.

SAN FRANCISCO – Fortnite-maker Epic Games is making a “huge pivot” towards using AI to boost video game development, chief executive Tim Sweeney said on Oct 12.

The American gaming giant is “moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration,” Sweeney wrote on X.

“The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal,” he continued, referring to the company’s Unreal Engine which provides game development software to third-party users.

The announcement comes amid a heated debate about AI’s role in art and creative sectors.

It also lands about six months after Epic said it would lay off more than 1,000 employees, though the company attributed the decision to broader issues like slower growth, rather than AI.

Ramping up its use of AI internally now will increase Epic’s ability “to survive the AI revolution, help other developers do the same, and come out on the other end making better code and content faster,” Sweeney wrote on Oct 12.

He also pushed back on criticism from one user who replied on X that his “inability to read the room is really really astounding”.

“Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be. Personally I’m optimistic about it and see it as empowering for creators,” Sweeney wrote in response.

AI in game development remains controversial despite its use by the industry.

More than 85% of game developers in Japan use AI, compared to 36% of developers in North America, according to PC Gamer.

Epic is also reportedly delaying the release of a game developed in collaboration with Disney, according to a report from Bloomberg on Oct 12.

The game was expected to launch in March and features characters from Marvel and Star Wars, and Epic has told employees to use an “AI first” approach to development.

Epic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AFP