Epic’s new games launcher is ‘vibe coded’
Epic Games is announcing a big refresh of its PC games launcher today in preview, saying that the new version is "way faster" and now supports Linux. But the company, which has been publicly making a big push into AI-assisted development, also notes that the refresh was "vibe coded." "Programming is hard," Epic says in a blog post. "So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster…
Key points
- Epic Games launched a preview of a faster PC games launcher that supports Linux.
- Epic says the launcher was "vibe coded" using AI agents to write and review code.
- The old launcher stays available; Epic has no timeline for a full switch.
Epic Games announced a preview of a refreshed PC games launcher on Monday, saying the new version is "way faster" and now supports Linux. The company said the refresh was "vibe coded," with AI used to write and review code. The preview is available on Windows, Mac and Linux starting today, and the old version remains available.
Epic has been publicly pushing into AI-assisted development. On Monday, CEO Tim Sweeney announced a "huge pivot underway," saying the company will move developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. Bloomberg reported this week that an Epic director on an unannounced Disney title told staffers there would be "No more hand-written code."
How AI was used
Martin Keely, Epic's VP and GM of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, told The Verge that AI was used as a tool for the launcher. He said it was "super helpful" for testing and for replicating the core functionality from the existing launcher, and that it also let Epic offer the new launcher on Linux.
Keely said the team worked on the launcher for most of this year. He said agents wrote and reviewed all of the code, but the development team managed the process and supervised everything. He said the team has not adopted the "no more hand-written code" model reported by Bloomberg.
Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and more responsive than the current one
— Epic Games
Rollout and company changes
Keely said Epic has no specific timeline for when everyone must move to the new version. The company will do the full launch when the update feels "stable" and has parity with the current launcher in all places it needs. Epic also plans to bring Fortnite to Linux through the app.
In March, Epic laid off more than 1,000 staffers. Sweeney said in a memo at the time that the layoffs were not related to AI, adding that the company wants as many developers as possible building content and tech.
