Epic confirms it is vibe coding Unreal Engine 6 and Fortnite updates

Epic executive VP of development Marcus Wassmer confirmed the company is vibe coding Unreal Engine 6, Fortnite, and other projects. He told This Week In Video Games that engineers are no longer writing the bulk of the code but are guiding AI tools to get the architectural result they want.

Wassmer said Epic is iterating with AI to ship features developers want and keep the engine within memory, performance, and scalability envelopes. He added the company is more concerned about the risks of moving too slowly than about AI skepticism.

The confirmation marks a shift from a year ago when Epic CEO Tim Sweeney denied the company was using AI for Unreal Engine updates. Many game developers have expressed alarm that the new version of one of the most used video game engines was vibe coded by AI and may not be fully understood by Epic.

Epic vibe coded a new version of the Epic Games Store launcher earlier this month. The company claimed it was faster and more responsive, but social media filled with clips of the launcher hallucinating and one poster claimed it bricked their PC. Valve released a store update shortly after that negated Epic's speed advantage.

Epic recently delayed an unannounced game crossing over Marvel and Star Wars characters while the company shifts to its AI first development approach. One director reportedly told staff there would be no more handwritten code and all the game's art will be generated with full AI workflows.