Epic Casts a Shadow over Steam, Admits Its New Epic Games Launcher Is Being Coded with AI "Faster Than Others"

Epic Games isn't easing off the gen-AI pedal. The maker of Fortnite and Unreal Engine has now built a new Epic Games launcher using vibe-coded code in an effort to overtake Steam, the most popular digital game marketplace on PC. Continue reading

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Epic Games is not taking its foot off the gen-AI pedal. The company behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine has now created a new vibe-coded Epic Games launcher in an effort to overtake Steam, the most popular digital gaming marketplace on PC.

Epic Games Launcher is a platform that gives players access to the Epic Games Store, game libraries and a host of social features - and according to the company, the latest version of the app is powered by artificial intelligence.

“We coded the Epic Games Launcher faster than anyone else,” Epic tweeted alongside a diagram (below). "Is this bad boy faster? Yes. Does it have bugs? Yes. Do we want to hear about them? Hell yes. When you find something that's off, hit the 'Send Feedback' button in the launcher so we can deal with it on the way to release."

We coded Epic Games Launcher to be faster than others.

Don't believe us? Try it yourself in the preview:

— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) October 14, 2026

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A later blog post tries to justify the use of gen-AI: "Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we coded a new Epic Games launcher that's much faster and more responsive than the current version, and has a new look. The first version is light features. Think of it as a speedboat, not a sailboat!" (Is this shadow more of a hatch I see?)

Coding Vibe is a colloquial term often used to refer to code generated or requested by gen-AI. EGS VP and General Manager Martin Keeley admitted to IGN that it's currently "a visible issue in the games industry — countless games have been recompiled and decompiled by vibe coders in recent weeks — but Keeley believes it's "made us a smaller team to launch code faster and be able to launch code faster. Platforms."

This comes just a day after a Bloomberg report claimed that Epic Games is fully embracing an "AI-first" development pipeline, starting with Marvel and Star Wars shooters that have been delayed internally. Developers are said to have been told that from here on out on the Disney crossover project, no "other handwritten code" should be used, and even the art should be "produced with full AI workflows."

In an online post, CEO Tim Sweeney also suggested that the gen-AI focus could seep into Unreal Engine, the widely used game development tool behind everything from Gears of War: E-Day to Final Fantasy 7 Revelation: "The goal is not to do the same things with fewer people, but to empower everyone here to make more and better things. Bring the benefits of using Unreal to all teams."

The Epic Games Store has long been trying to lure the vast majority of PC players away from Valve's Steam platform. We'll see if a controversial AI spin can move the needle either way.