EPIC GAMES LAUNCHES AI-CODED LAUNCHER WITH LINUX SUPPORT

Epic Games has released a redesigned version of the Epic Games Store launcher, describing it in a blog post as "vibe coded" using artificial intelligence rather than traditionally programmed. "Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look," the company said. Epic says the new launcher runs faster than Valve's Steam platform and lets users access games installed through Steam from within its own interface. The release also marks the first time the launcher is available on Linux. Martin Keely, Epic's vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, said AI was used as a tool during development and had been "super helpful" for testing and for replicating the core functionality of the previous launcher.

The release follows comments from Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney, who wrote on social media that the company has a "huge pivot underway," moving developers "to retool for maximum AI acceleration." Sweeney said the aim "isn't to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal." One report said Epic carried out layoffs earlier this year that cut its workforce by around 1,000 employees. A separate report said an Epic director working on an unannounced Disney title told staff there would be "no more hand-written code," though Keely said the team behind the new launcher had not adopted that approach and that "we definitely had agents write and review all of the code."

Epic has been developing the new launcher for most of this year, according to Keely, and it is currently being released in preview. The company has not said when a full release will follow. The redesign addresses longstanding criticism of the previous launcher, which Sweeney himself described as "clunky" in an interview last year. No further detail on the wider AI transition across Epic's teams has been confirmed beyond Sweeney's statement.