Epic Games held its highly-anticipated State of Unreal keynote during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2023, where it unveiled its ambitious plans for content creation and showcased new tools for upcoming games. The live-streamed presentation, spanning almost eight hours, was broadcasted on Epic Games’ YouTube channel and focused on the updates in Unreal Engine 5.2, a revolutionary performance capture system, an Unreal Editor designed specifically for Fortnite, and more. Additionally, the audience was treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming reboot of Lords of the Fallen, an exciting dark fantasy souls-like title developed by Hexworks, highlighting its visually stunning high-resolution models and lighting technology powered by Unreal Engine 5.
Here are the major highlights from Epic Games’ State of Unreal 2023 presentation:
Unreal Editor for Fortnite:
This innovative tool is a customized version of Unreal Engine that allows players to create and publish their own content directly into the Fortnite universe. Users can design new environments, unique models, and engaging gameplay experiences using the tool, which is seamlessly integrated with Fortnite and provides access to over four years’ worth of existing content and assets. Collaborative creation is made possible through the “live edit” feature, enabling team members to join a user’s Unreal Editor for Fortnite session from any platform. The tool also allows players to import custom assets, animate them, and enhance their creations using Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen, a powerful real-time global illumination system. The public beta of Unreal Editor for Fortnite is now available on the Epic Games Store.
MetaHuman Animator:
Developer Ninja Theory is utilizing Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman Animator technology in its highly anticipated game, Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga, to deliver incredibly realistic facial expressions for its characters. The tool enables developers to capture every nuance of an actor’s performance using an iPhone or stereo helmet-mounted camera, and then transfer those details and animations to their digital counterparts, bringing them to life in a photorealistic manner. This tool is set to launch in the summer and aims to deliver the level of quality facial animation expected in AAA games and even Hollywood films like Love, Death, & Robots.
Unreal Engine 5.2:
In collaboration with leading vehicle manufacturer Rivian, Epic Games created a stunning demo called Electric Dreams, which showcases the advancements in Unreal Engine 5.2. The demo features a photorealistic Rivian R1T electric truck traversing an overgrown forest and highlights the new Substrate shading system. Presenters showcased the truck’s decal changing to an opal color, demonstrating how lighting interacts with the surface in real-time through layered effects and reflections. Unreal Engine 5.2 also introduces Procedural Content Generation Framework (PCG) tools, allowing artists to efficiently populate expansive and highly detailed spaces by defining rules and parameters. These procedural assemblies/models interact with nearby elements in real-time, automatically updating their appearance. The latest version of Unreal Engine 5.2 can be accessed through the Epic Games Launcher and GitHub.
Lords of the Fallen Technical Showcase Trailer:
Hexworks released a captivating trailer showcasing the gothic world of Skyrest Bridge, an early location in the highly anticipated reboot-ish sequel, Lords of the Fallen. The developer employed 3D scans of real people to enhance the character customization system, offering a wide range of body types and faces. Additionally, the game utilizes Unreal Engine 5’s Chaos Physics Engine to bring lifelike movement effects to weapons and clothing. The trailer also demonstrates the power of Unreal’s Lumen Global Illumination system, which creates realistic lighting effects that dynamically bounce off surfaces. Players will have the opportunity to seamlessly travel between two interconnected worlds, Axiom (the realm of the living) and Umbral (the realm of the dead), allowing for a unique and immersive gameplay experience.
Creator Economy 2.0:
In a bid to support content creators, Epic Games has introduced Creator Economy 2.0, a program that rewards developers for creating and publishing islands in Fortnite based on user engagement. Epic Games will share 40 percent of the net revenue generated from Fortnite’s item shop, including item sales like skins and battle passes, with eligible island creators. Interestingly, the phrasing suggests that even Epic Games’ own islands, such as Battle Royale, are eligible for compensation.
Fab:
Epic Games is consolidating all of its asset marketplaces, including Unreal Engine Marketplace, Sketchfab, Quixel Bridge, and ArtStation Marketplace, under the new brand name “Fab.” This unified platform serves as a one-stop destination for creators to discover, share, purchase, and sell digital assets from a vast library. Creators receive an 88 percent revenue share, and the platform offers a wide range of content, including 3D models, visual effects (VFX), sound, and more. The full launch of Fab is slated for later this year, with an alpha version of the Fab plugin already included in Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
