en.Wedoany.com Reported - Epic Games announced the latest progress of Unreal Engine (UE) embracing generative AI at the Unreal Fest event held on Wednesday, while also revealing details of the next-generation Unreal Engine 6 (UE6) for the first time and releasing Unreal Engine 5.8.
As part of this update, Epic provides an experimental Model Context Protocol (MCP) plugin, allowing developers to connect generative AI models such as Claude and Gemini to Unreal Engine. Epic aims to make MCP an integral part of UE6. Marcus Wassmer, head of the Epic development team, wrote in a blog post that generative AI models can act as "a multiplier for creativity and productivity, enabling teams to focus on key creative and technical tasks in development rather than spending time on tedious manual work."
The blog post further states that UE6's goal is to significantly reduce tedious work in content creation, freeing up more time for creative exploration and increasing team iteration cycles to polish content. UE6 will come with tools and workflows that allow developers to bring their preferred models, which have been battle-tested in internal development and UEFN (Unreal Engine for Fortnite).
Epic demonstrated Claude Code connecting to Unreal Engine, grabbing objects from the asset library and placing them in a virtual living room. Developers can still manually move objects in the UE editor. The company also showed how developers can use Claude Code in UE to build a city that automatically adjusts when resources like parks are added. Generative AI models can also adjust factors such as lighting and match atmospheric conditions to real-world examples. In a video showcasing Unreal Engine 5.8, Epic suggested that developers can use tools like Claude to automate asset creation, testing, and optimization, with the plugin accessing core UE systems such as blueprints, assets, levels, materials, and meshes.
Epic's full commitment to generative AI in UE6 is not surprising. As early as last November, CEO Tim Sweeney stated that an "AI-made" label might "be relevant for art exhibition author disclosure and digital content licensing markets where buyers need to understand rights status. But it's meaningless for game stores, because almost all future production will involve AI."
In January, the Game Developers Conference released the "2026 Game Industry Status Report," based on a survey of over 2,300 game industry professionals. Among them, 36% said they use generative AI tools in their work. Most users of such tools employ them for research and brainstorming (81%), but also for tasks like prototyping (35%). However, 52% of respondents believe generative AI is detrimental to the industry, up from 30% in the 2025 survey and 18% in 2024. Only 7% think it has had a positive impact.
In other news from Unreal Fest, Epic is merging Unreal Engine 5 and UEFN into a single platform for UE6. The company is also testing a feature to import Fortnite skins into other UE6 games and allow developers to move skins in reverse. Epic plans to release an early access version of UE6 by the end of 2027, with the full version expected 12 to 18 months thereafter.
Epic also shared some collaboration news. Developers using UEFN to create Fortnite experiences will soon be able to make games based on "The Simpsons." The company also revealed that Fortnite has arranged over 30 game collaborations this year, including "Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds," "Vampire Survivors," "Control: Resonance," and "Shadow Blade Zero." However, Poncle, the developer of "Vampire Survivors," expressed concerns about Epic's embrace of generative AI, stating on Reddit that it is "reviewing" its collaboration with Fortnite.
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