Epic Says AI Will Play A Bigger Role In Unreal Engine 6
At the recent State of Unreal showcase, Epic Games unveiled deeper insights into Unreal Engine 6, highlighting its integration of Generative AI in the development of in-game assets for titles like Fortnite. In a newly released video, the company described the use of GenAI as an "art concepting process," showcasing how it takes handcrafted designs—created using digital tools like Blender and Photoshop—and transforms them into 3D in-game models.
Epic emphasized that GenAI is not a replacement for human creativity but a tool to enhance it. The video explained that the technology is used to modify concepts developed by the company's artists, with the note that AI-generated assets may sometimes have imperfections that require human refinement. "The design is king. AI can generate generic stuff all day, but that's not what we're doing here," one of Epic's employees said in the video. "It just skips ahead in the timeline so the artist can focus on honing in on the design and crafting it exactly how they want it to be."
This process has become a key part of Epic’s workflow, enabling artists to rapidly turn sketches into 3D models that they can further refine. The company conducts "continual reviews" before any content is finalized to ensure it meets its high standards. However, Epic has faced scrutiny in the past regarding AI-generated assets in Fortnite, such as characters with an incorrect number of toes, which have raised questions about the technology's accuracy and oversight.
In a blog post, Unreal Engine development lead Marcus Wassmer discussed the company's vision for GenAI tools in UE6, aiming to strike a balance between accelerating the creative process and preserving user control. "For UE6, we see LLMs, generative AI models, and tools like Claude and Codex playing a central role in helping you build content faster while maintaining the creative control you need," Wassmer wrote.
While the potential of GenAI in Unreal Engine 6 is clear, not all developers are enthusiastic about the shift. Poncle, the developer of Vampire Survivors, is currently "reviewing" its planned collaboration with Epic, indicating some hesitation around the new AI tools. The response to Epic's GenAI announcements has been mixed, with some developers expressing concerns about the implications for creative integrity.
Earlier this year, Nvidia demonstrated its next step in AI technology with DLSS 5, showcasing how upscaling can dramatically alter the appearance of in-game assets and models. However, the feature quickly became the subject of widespread internet humor, with users joking that it was a "Yassify" filter designed to make video game characters unnaturally attractive. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang initially defended the technology, but he later revised his stance after facing increasing criticism about the company's messaging.
