Epic Games hosted its State of Unreal show yesterday evening, where it shined a spotlight on many of the major plans and changes in store for the Unreal Engine platform. While there is a lot to be excited about, there are also a few elements that have rubbed fans slightly the wrong way, as Epic used the show to affirm that it will be using generative AI to assist in the design of Fortnite characters, outfits, and places in-game. Many fans have asked for disclaimers to be put in place when such becomes a reality, no doubt to know whether a paid skin was human-made or simply generated by an artificial intelligence.
And it's not just fans that are a little disappointed by the news, as now indie developer Poncle has announced it is reviewing its partnership with Epic Games over bringing Vampire Survivors cosmetics to the wider Fortnite world.
In a statement on Reddit, Poncle writes: "Following today's news about gen AI usage by Epic to create all sort of game assets, including Fortnite characters, we're currently "reviewing" our collaboration with Fortnite. We'll let you know if anything moves forward."
The big question is whether Poncle are simply the first of a handful of developers who will be reviewing their collaboration with Epic Games now that the developer has signalled its intent to explore all things generative AI to greater effect.