Vampire Survivors Developer 'Reviewing' Fortnite Crossover Plans, After Epic Details Unreal Engine 6 AI Usage

Vampire Survivors workplace Poncle appears to beryllium reconsidering its plans for a lucrative Fortnite crossover, aft Epic Games this week confirmed it present uses generative AI tools wrong the conflict royale's creation and plan process.

A caller behind-the-scenes video published by Epic Games showed however the institution present uses generative AI prompts to set hand-drawn designs for Fortnite quality skins and creation assets utilized successful the game's conception phase. The video showed AI being utilized to crook sketches into much elaborate designs, oregon experimentation with alternate versions of artwork (turning a daylight country into night-time, for example). The video besides showed AI introducing errors oregon unwanted additions which besides needed to beryllium corrected by manus — thing Fortnite players antecedently suggested whitethorn person resulted successful odd-looking assets making their mode into the unrecorded game.

Epic Games continued its absorption connected generative AI usage successful yesterday's State of Unreal livestream, wherever it showed a glimpse astatine upcoming Unreal Engine 6 capabilities. The institution demoed however its updated motor volition broadly incorporated generative AI tools to iterate and physique upon 3D environments.

"For UE6, we spot LLMs, generative AI models, and tools similar Claude and Codex playing a cardinal relation successful helping you physique contented faster portion maintaining the originative power you need," wrote Unreal Engine improvement pb Marcus Wassmer successful an accompanying blog post.

All of this appears to person impacted Poncle's enthusiasm for appearing successful Fortnite, arsenic portion of Epic Games' program to diagnostic galore in-game crossovers with titles disposable via the Epic Game Store.

"Following today's quality astir gen AI usage by Epic to make each sorts of crippled assets, including Fortnite characters, we're presently 'reviewing' our collaboration with Fortnite," Poncle wrote successful a connection posted to reddit (thanks, iFireMonkey). "We'll fto you cognize if thing moves forward."

Poncle's connection has received praise from Vampire Survivors fans, who person said that the indie roguelike shooter should present region itself from Epic. But Fortnite has, of course, publically featured AI procreation for immoderate clip — specified arsenic its chatty recreation of Darth Vader that could reply to players with the dependable of James Earl Jones.

Epic Games' nationalist treatment of its AI usage has drawn an unsurprisingly mixed absorption crossed the internet, with galore criticizing the company's embracing of generative AI tools peculiarly aft devastating unit cuts that saw astir 1,000 unit members laid off. Others, however, has suggested Epic is simply acknowledging the world of changing crippled development, amid increasing AI usage crossed the industry.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social