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Epic Games is leveling up the Fortnite creator landscape with powerful AI tools, enabling the creation of AI-driven non-player characters (NPCs) akin to the popular AI Darth Vader integration. Demonstrated at the State of Unreal event, these new features within the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) will allow creators to craft NPCs with unique personalities, behaviors, and even voice chat capabilities.
Fortnite creators can tailor the voice type, speech patterns, and overall characteristics of their AI NPCs. A live demonstration featured “Mr. Buttons,” an AI character designed solely to encourage players to interact with a large red button, highlighting the potential for engaging and interactive experiences. This follows the addition of an AI Darth Vader NPC in May, utilizing an AI-powered rendition of James Earl Jones’ iconic voice, with approval from his estate.
Beyond NPC creation, Epic is also beta testing the Epic Developer Assistant, an AI chatbot aimed at assisting UEFN creators in writing code using the Verse programming language. This AI assistant promises to streamline the development process and empower creators of all skill levels.
Epic also revealed upcoming additions to UEFN, broadening the creative palette with popular franchises. Creators can look forward to incorporating elements from Squid Game (assets launching June 27th), Avatar: The Last Airbender (available in 2026), Star Wars (future availability), and new LEGO experiences (available June 17th), providing even more resources for crafting engaging and diverse Fortnite experiences.