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Title: Fortnite is about to unleash AI-powered NPCs

Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:27:28 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-a...

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 customizable.

Epic demoed the tech on Tuesday during its "State of Unreal" keynote. The
company said the NPC generated its responses in real-time during the
presentation. It was created using "about 20 lines" of prompt text.

The demoed character, Mr. Buttons, was created solely to persuade the player
to press a large red button in a room. After the presenter asked about the
signs in the environment warning against pressing the button, the AI bot
persisted. "Signs, you say? Mere suggestions from those who lack imagination.
After all, rules are made to be gently nudged aside. Wouldn't you agree?"

Impressive as it was, the demo also showed the tech's current limitations.
First, it's a turn-taking AI chat, not a live one with interruptions and
overlapping. In addition, the presenter could only speak when holding a
button to activate the microphone. After each question, Mr. Buttons would
pause for a few moments to process. It tried to mask this with vocal fillers
like "Hmmm," "Ahhhh," and "Ummm."

Epic Games

The tech builds on Darth Vader's appearance last month in Fortnite: Galactic
Battle. Gemini 2.0 Flash generated the Sith Lord's dialogue, which was made
to sound like James Earl Jones' voice using ElevenLabs AI tech. (His estate
approved it.)

How did it go? Well, AI Vader went viral for… probably not the reasons Epic
hoped. On the bright side, it didn't quite devolve into AI Seinfeld levels of
offensiveness. But a widely shared video showed Darth dropping an F-bomb. In
response to a streamer using "freaking" and "fucking" in a voice prompt,
Vader repeated the words. (Ironically, he then scolded the player for using
harsh language.) Epic pushed a hotfix and promised it wouldn't happen again.

Fortnite creators will be able to make the NPCs in the UEFN Editor later this
year. You can check out the Mr. Buttons demo below.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-a...
172728548.html?src=rss

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