Epic Games provided some additional information on Unreal Engine 6 as Unreal Engine 5.8 is set to be the final major update to the current generation engine. The integration with UEFN, the and AI models like Claude and Gemini, alongside the eventual deprecation of the Blueprints visual scripting system and Actors framework, is making more than a few fearful that AI will completely take over game development, and Epic's reassurances that this won't happen are not enough to calm these fears, as the company has lost veteran and legendary level design guru Sjoerd "Hourences" de Jong just as the new version of the engine was announced.
"After 27 years of Unreal Engine, and 12 years at Epic Games and Unreal Engine I have decided to move on. Last week was my last week at Epic," wrote De Jong in a LinkedIn post. "This has been an awesome ride that has been truly life changing in so many ways. I didn't have an easy childhood or youth and things weren't going anywhere, but all of that changed entirely when I discovered Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine 1/2/3 put me on a very interesting trajectory for life, which in turn had a profound impact on myself as a person, my personal growth, and opportunities that opened up."
Having stayed with Epic through the Unreal Engine 4 and Unreal Engine 5 eras, the legendary level design guru - who penned books on classic development such as The Hows and Whys of Level Design and handcrafted one of the iconic maps of Unreal Tournament 2004, DM-Rankin - Sjoerd de Jong facilitated the changes in game development, visiting "hundreds" of studios, presenting "hundreds" of talks and supporting "millions" of developers.
"But all of that being said, I feel like this era has come to a close, and it is time to move forward. The industry is in a very interesting place. The games industry has always been an industry where change is relentless and inevitable, but it feels like we are reaching a pivotal point now and a potent mix of things," Sjoerd de Jong said.
Although no specifics are mentioned, it's impossible not to connect Sjoerd de Jong's departure from Epic Games to the announcement of Unreal Engine 6 and its heavy integration with Claude and Gemini. With AI already powering world generation in Unreal Engine 5.8, it's undeniable that this will be taken to the next level in Unreal Engine 6, which threatens to alter game development as no other version of the engine has before. For someone who spearheaded handcrafted level design, UE6's direction must be going against everything they championed.
Still, the legendary level designer keeps a positive outlook towards the future. "As much as I love the old way of working, I think it would be strategic to come to terms with where this is heading, and to work out how to adapt and excel at solving the challenges and opportunities that we face," De Jong concluded.
At the time, there's no risk of AI taking over game development and delivering games on par with those created by actual developers. Although impressive from certain standpoints, a solo developer's attempt to use AI agents to create their own version of GTA 6 resulted in the recreation of the wrong city, and with the new Unreal Engine 5.8 Model Context Protocol (MCP) slowing the build.
However, as AI is rapidly evolving, it is difficult to predict what the future holds for the many games that will surely be powered by Unreal Engine 6. Let's just hope actual game developers will remain in control to propel gaming towards a true next-generation that is not dictated by a model with no creativity.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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