Epic Games to Unleash AI-Powered NPCs in Fortnite, Building on Darth Vader Experience
8 Sources
[1]
A lot more AI characters are coming to Fortnite
Jay Peters is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. AI Darth Vader was a huge hit in Fortnite, and now Epic plans to let creators make AI-powered NPCs for their own in-game experiences. But a senior Epic exec says that
[2]
Epic is bringing AI Darth Vader's tech to Fortnite creators
Jay Peters is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. Epic Games is going to allow Fortnite creators to make AI-powered NPCs that work similar to the recently-launched AI Darth Vader. The company showed off the tech at
[3]
Fortnite is about to unleash AI-powered NPCs
For better or worse, Fortnite will let creators make NPCs that ditch the script and go freestyle. A new tool in the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) will allow developers to create their own generative AI-powered NPCs. Their voice types, delivery styles and personality traits are all
[4]
Fortnite to add even more AI NPCs following Darth Vader incident
Editor's take: Game developers are actively promoting AI and large language models as the next big leap for the industry. Despite ambitious visions of fully automated characters and self-generating virtual worlds, the current reality falls short and is often limited to profanity-laced chatbots
[5]
Epic's AI Darth Vader tech is about to be all over Fortnite
Marc "Spidey" Griffin has been an established gaming and entertainment journalist and associate editor since 2019. He has written for the likes of Grammy.com/The Recording Academy, Fandom Gaming, Gamespew, CBR, The Verge, Billboard, JD Sports, XDA, VIBE Magazine, HotNewHipHop, Consequence of Sound,
[6]
Fortnite creators can soon build their own AI-driven characters
Epic Games announced on Tuesday that Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) will include a new tool allowing developers to create generative AI-powered non-player characters (NPCs). Voice types, delivery styles, and personality traits will be customizable. The announcement occurred during Epic's "State
[7]
AI Darth Vader In Fortnite Made Epic So Delighted, It Wants Players To Create Their Own LLM-Driven NPCs
In a functioning universe, the disastrous results of adding an AI-voiced Darth Vader to Fortnite would have led to the concept being torn up and abandoned. Unfortunately, we live in a dysfunctional universe, where rationality and sense have long been abandoned, and Epic is responding to the
[8]
AI Darth Vader Was the Beginning: Epic Reveals Plans to Let People Create Their Own AI NPCs in Fortnite - IGN
Following the release of AI Darth Vader into Fortnite, Epic has announced plans to let people create their own AI NPCs in the all-encompassing battle royale. AI Darth Vader hit Fortnite last month. He can serenade you, join and leave squads at will, respond intelligently to the player, issue
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Epic Games is set to introduce AI-powered NPCs to Fortnite creators, expanding on their recent AI Darth Vader experiment. This new feature, called the Persona Device, will allow creators to customize AI characters with unique voices, personalities, and goals.
Epic Games Introduces AI-Powered NPCs to Fortnite
Epic Games is set to revolutionize the Fortnite experience by introducing AI-powered Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to the game's creative ecosystem. This development comes on the heels of the company's successful implementation of an AI-driven Darth Vader character in May 2023
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Source: TechSpot
The Persona Device: Empowering Creators
At the heart of this innovation is the Persona Device, a new feature in the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) that will allow creators to design their own AI-powered NPCs
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. Creators will have the ability to customize various aspects of these characters, including:- Voice types
- Delivery styles
- Personality traits
- Knowledge base
- Goals and objectives
Epic Games demonstrated the potential of this technology during their "State of Unreal" keynote, showcasing an AI character named Mr. Buttons
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Source: Engadget
Learning from the Darth Vader Experience
The introduction of AI-powered NPCs builds upon Epic's experience with the AI Darth Vader character. Saxs Persson, Epic's EVP of the Fortnite ecosystem, described the Vader implementation as the "culmination of a very intense effort for a character everybody understands"
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.However, the Darth Vader rollout wasn't without its challenges. A popular streamer managed to get the AI Vader to swear, prompting Epic to quickly implement a fix
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.Related Stories
Challenges and Considerations
As Epic Games moves forward with this technology, several challenges and considerations come to the forefront:
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Content Moderation: The incident with AI Vader highlights the need for robust content moderation systems
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Legal Implications: The use of AI-generated voices has already triggered legal action from the voice actors' union SAG-AFTRA
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User Experience: While the technology is impressive, current limitations include turn-taking conversations and processing delays
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The Future of AI in Fortnite
Epic Games is not stopping at NPCs. The company is also beta testing the Epic Developer Assistant, an AI chatbot designed to help UEFN creators write code in the platform's custom programming language, Verse
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.Furthermore, Epic plans to integrate AI into upcoming franchise-based experiences, including Squid Game, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Star Wars
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.As the gaming industry continues to explore the potential of AI, Fortnite's upcoming AI-powered NPCs represent a significant step forward in creating more dynamic and interactive gaming experiences. However, the success of this initiative will largely depend on how well Epic Games addresses the challenges of content moderation, legal considerations, and user experience.
Source: The Verge
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