Epic Video games is not lifting its foot off the gen-AI pedal. The corporate behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine has now vibe-coded a brand new Epic Video games Launcher in an try and outrun Steam, by far the most well-liked digital video games market on PC.
The Epic Video games Launcher is the platform that grants gamers entry to the Epic Video games Retailer, their sport libraries and a number of social options – and the app’s latest model was prompted into existence with the usage of generative AI, in keeping with the corporate.
“We vibe coded the Epic Video games Launcher to be sooner than the opposite man,” Epic tweeted alongside a graph (under) evaluating how a lot sooner the EGS Launcher is in addition than Steam (5 seconds!) “Is that this unhealthy boy sooner? Sure. Will it have some bugs? Sure. Will we need to hear about them? Hell sure. While you discover one thing that’s off, hit the ‘Ship Suggestions’ button within the Launcher so we are able to deal with on the highway to launch.”
We vibe coded the Epic Video games Launcher to be sooner than the opposite man.
Do not consider us? Check it out for your self in Preview:
https://t.co/aMxojUUVPV— Epic Video games Retailer (@EpicGames) October 14, 2026
A follow-up weblog publish makes an attempt to justify the gen-AI utilization: “Programming is tough. So, as a substitute of doing that, we vibe coded a brand new Epic Video games Launcher that is method sooner and extra responsive than the present one, and has a brand new look. The primary launch is gentle on options. Consider it as a speedboat and never a yacht!” (Is that extra Valve shade I see?)
Vibe coding is a colloquial time period usually used to discuss with code generated or prompted with gen-AI. Talking to IGN, EGS’ vp and common supervisor Martin Keely acknowledged it is an “situation that is of excessive visibility” throughout the video games trade for the time being – numerous video games have been recompiled and decompiled in current weeks by vibe coders – however Keely reckons it is “made us extra environment friendly and allowed a small workforce to rewrite the code base and be capable to launch it sooner throughout platforms.”
This comes only a day after a Bloomberg report claimed Epic Video games is absolutely embracing an “AI first” improvement pipeline, beginning with a Marvel and Star Wars shooter that was internally delayed. Builders had been allegedly advised that “no extra hand-written code” needs to be used whereas making the Disney crossover undertaking from right here on, and even artwork needs to be “generated with full AI workflows”.
In a web-based publish, CEO Tim Sweeney additionally prompt the gen-AI pivot might seep into Unreal Engine, the widely-used sport improvement device behind all the pieces from Gears of Conflict: E-Day to Closing Fantasy 7 Revelation: “The purpose is not to do the identical stuff with fewer folks, however to allow everybody right here to construct extra and higher stuff, and to convey the advantages to all groups utilizing Unreal.”
The Epic Video games Retailer has lengthy struggled to tug the overwhelming majority of PC gamers away from Valve’s Steam platform. We’ll see if a controversial AI spin can transfer the needle in any method.