- Tim Sweeney has recently discussed Unreal Engine 6.
- The CEO states that this version of the technology aims to unify the exclusive features of Unreal Editor for Fortnite with a mainstream release.
- The engine could show up in preview builds as early as 2027.
Unreal Engine 5 offered multiple breakthroughs for the industry, quickly becoming the most widely adopted engine in the industry. Recent successes like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Oblivion Remastered make use of the same technology, and future AAA mammoths like The Witcher 4 will also rely on Unreal Engine 5.
However, Epic Games already has its sights set on the future. In fact, CEO Tim Sweeney has discussed what the future holds for Unreal Engine 6 in a new interview.
Why it matters: Unreal Engine should see further mainstream adoption by the time it progresses beyond the current iteration, making it pivotal for Epic Games to improve nearly everything about the technology in the coming years.
Speaking to Lex Fridman, Tim Sweeney described how Epic Games does not have a set timeline for Unreal Engine 6 at the moment. However, he estimates that a preview version of the engine will be available within the next two to three years.
Describing the primary goal of Unreal Engine 6, Tim Sweeney discussed Verse, Epic Games’ own programming language. Unreal Engine 5 currently supports this language, as well as various other standalone features available exclusively to Fortnite.
It’s a few years away. We could be seeing preview versions 2-3 years from now.
As the CEO describes, this feature set is separate from those available to large developers who intend to use Unreal Engine 5 for their separate projects. Epic Games is continually iterating on Verse and the Fortnite feature set, with the ultimate goal of merging the two.
Unreal Engine 6 should see these elements coming together, allowing for more freedom and developer expression through the technology. Moreover, Unreal Engine 6 is expected to ship with an open economy that will initially be tested in Fortnite.
As mentioned before, Unreal Engine 5 is all the rage in the industry today, and many would argue the technology has yet to be pushed to its limits.
Future releases, such as Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, among other games, are expected to fully leverage the technology, so even with Unreal Engine 6 potentially making its debut by 2027 or 2028, developers will likely require additional time before becoming comfortable with the new version.
What are your thoughts on the future of gaming with Unreal Engine? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.