Well, folks, your wish has been granted, and we’ve got more deets about it from none other than Marcus Wassmer, who leads the development team at Epic Games. There’s a lot to unpack in the official statement from Wassmer, but we’re going to cut to the chase. The first major development is that UE6 aims to unify UE5 and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite, bringing all of the versatility they possess to one convenient platform for creators.

“Rendering will keep getting better. Cook times will come down. Iteration loops will get tighter. Mobile is increasingly capable.”

Wassmer’s words are definitely a reason to be optimistic about the type of titles that this one is going to enable, which is especially evident with features that enable a more collaborative approach to game development that allows teams to focus on specific aspects of a game whilst coordinating with others in order to ensure seamless implementation of various systems across the board. It’s bringing a new framework for game development that’s entirely based on Verse, a next-gen programming language that’s built for scale in the worlds it powers.

There are a bunch of features whose explanations get a tad too technical, but the good news is that UE6 seems poised to bring a new generation of games to life, and make them experiences that comes alive in the hands of not just their players, but their makers as well. That’s definitely a reason to cheer it on if there ever was one.

Starting with “gen”, Ueda explained that the word could signify several concepts, from the idea of genesis to genes, or even generating something. Similarly, “ATLAS” could have many meanings, ranging from a map of the world to the name of the first cervical vertebra in humans.

“So, let’s start with the ‘Gen’ part,” Ueda explained. “It’s not just one definition or meaning: it has a couple of different word associations. So ‘genesis’ is one, ‘gene’ is another, and then ‘generate’ – the act of generating – is another.”

“And then ‘Atlas’. I don’t know about you, but a lot of people think [of] ‘the world atlas, the world map’. But it also is the first cervical vertebra here that connects the head to the neck, and as you can see in the robot head design, it evokes that as well. As a whole, I felt like they would complement each other but also become a word or a title that would capture the entirety of the world that we’re building.”

Despite seemingly revolving around having an adventure alongside a gigantic companion, Ueda also spoke about how gen ATLAS will be more similar in tone to Shadow of the Colossus than his most recent outing, The Last Guardian. This comparison comes down to the balance struck between exploration and action. The overall scale of the world and the things in it also plays a role in this.

“Shadow of the Colossus is the most similar,” he said. “Not at the level of detail but in terms of the balance between how much action there is and even the scale of things in the world, the adventuring, the traversing you’re going to do, the seamless loading of the environment and so forth. Overall, yes, out of the previous three games, that would be the best in terms of having similarities.”

gen Atlas was unveiled with a trailer by Ueda’s new studio, genDESIGN, over the weekend. The trailer itself was quite minimalistic, not revealing many details about the title’s story or even its gameplay. We did, however, get to see some of its world, which is seemingly in ruins, with the remnants of several robots lying around. The unnamed protagonist will be able to pilot the heads of some robots they find, which will likely be useful in traversal.

gen ATLAS doesn’t yet have a release date. The title is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and thanks to a publishing deal signed with Epic Games, its PC release will only be available through the Epic Games Store.

The trailer comes in at just under a minute in length, and gives us a look at some of the exploration-focused gameplay of the title. As you might expect, End of Abyss will be an incredibly atmospheric game, with players needing to explore many cramped underground spaces that have been populated by strange and horrific creatures. Along with this, players will also have to deal with other problems, like resource scarcity.

The story of End of Abyss revolves around the protagonist being sent to a strange underground compound to investigate disturbances of unknown origin. The journey, however, quite quickly gets out of hand, with the protagonist, Cel, descending deeper and deeper into the more derelict parts of the compound.

Along with exploration and combat, End of Abyss will also have players hunting down resources that can then be used to upgrade their gear, giving them the ability to fight bigger and more dangerous foes as they push deeper and deeper into the abyss. Exploration is a key thing in the title, with the player being equipped with a Scanner and other tools to help them along the way.

There will also seemingly be some metroidvania elements in End of Abyss, with players being able to use new tools that they find in order to explore areas that were previously sealed off for various reasons.

In signature Ueda fashion, it’s not exactly clear what’s going on, but the world is seemingly in ruins with the giant remnants of robots remaining. The protagonist can pilot their heads and connect them to bodies, thus creating a mech to perform various functions, such as lifting giant pillars, even if they’re not at the helm.

What would a mech game be without being able to fight other mechs? We see a few teases of the same, including the ability to punch their heads off. There are plenty of other gameplay scenarios, from traveling on land vehicles and firing at rapidly pursuing creatures to shooting targets while on a mech’s body, Shadow of the Colossus-style.

Again, the actual plot and your mission remain unknown, but it’s very compelling and looks absolutely stunning (barring the few frame rate drops). gen ATLAS is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC via the Epic Games Store, since the latter is publishing, and wishlists are currently available.

One example is the Giant Knight that protagonist Gwendolyn encountered in the first trailer. To help improve performance, Unreal Engine China technical director Wei Liu says they conducted tests for CPU/GPU bottlenecks. It has since reduced computational overhead and raised the average frame rate. Of course, the collaboration has also ensured that Nanite can be used in-game for “automated collision and shadow optimization.”

The overarching result is that even if a Giant Knight is in the background, it will retain the same high-quality textures and fluid motion without any performance hit. And while Eclipse Glow previously announced support for DLSS and Path Tracing, it’s also communicated with Nvidia for “detailed performance analysis.” The two will also work together on “joint optimizations at the driver level” in the future. And if that wasn’t enough, parent company Tencent also provided technical assistance, though further details weren’t shared.

For those itching to play the game, a hands-on event has been announced for this Summer with registration open to all players. You can expect more details through the developer’s socials, so stay tuned for updates.

A short trailer with real-time in-game footage, and from the outset, it sports extensive improvements to reflections, lighting quality, foliage and effects. Granted, it wasn’t an actual ongoing match, nor is there any indication of a release window, but it’s still a massive leap forward for Rocket League, which has used Unreal Engine 3 since release.

It’s pretty much a given that Epic’s other franchises, including Fortnite, LEGO Fortnite, and more, will shift to Unreal Engine 6 in due time. However, CEO Tim Sweeney believes it will be the “nexus point” for the studio’s work from Unreal Engine 5, combining the Unreal Editor for Fortnite with the main engine.

Whether that will influence Creator Made Experiences and how easy it is to make them remains to be seen. Sweeney did mention that preview versions of Unreal Engine 6 could arrive in 2027 or 2028 as the team makes “continuous progress.” Judging by this latest trailer, it may just be on track for next year. Time will tell, though, so stay tuned for further updates in the coming months.

Such conditions would have likely made the Souls-like exclusive to the Epic Games Store, especially if Epic was providing funding and support. With CI Games exiting the agreement, Lords of the Fallen 2 could now launch on multiple PC storefronts, including Steam.

Of course, the partnership between CI Games and Epic goes beyond the game, especially since it uses Unreal Engine 5. Those agreements are still very much in place, including in relation to “Epic online services, Epic account services, or the Company’s participation in the Fortnite ecosystem.” Hey, if it can have Mortal Kombat, then there’s always a chance.

Interestingly, the Separation Agreement actually occurred on April 14th. Why didn’t CI Games disclose this at the time? Apparently, because it could have “prejudiced the Company’s legitimate interests.” “The Agreement was conditional in nature. Furthermore, under the Agreement, the Company undertook not to disclose its execution prior to its entry into force.” The board also believed that not disclosing the same wouldn’t “mislead the public.”

Lords of the Fallen 2 is out later this year for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It doesn’t have a release date, but a CI Games designer accidentally revealed in their portfolio that it may launch in August. Perhaps an announcement at the Summer Game Fest showcase on June 5th, alongside the reveal that it’s indeed coming to Steam? Stay tuned for updates.

“I think it was super optimism of the time during Covid-19,” he explained. “The industry grew so much because [people] had to stay at home, and video games were the easiest and cheaper way to be entertained. So they saw this huge increase in growth of the industry, and many investors poured money into the sector, so these publishers over-hired, over-invested. They hired too many people. They invested in projects that they shouldn’t have.”

“And when that additional demand subsided after Covid, the people running these companies saw the reality, that the industry went back to the original steady growth cog, that means that the growth became flat after a couple of years.”

He went on to note how the sheer number of people being laid off has been “really sad.” Despite this, however, Yoshida remains optimistic about the health of the industry in the future.

“People don’t talk about the number of people hired into the industry,” he said. “When you look at the number of people working at these companies even after layoffs, you might see the number of people is still growing. Meaning that these companies tend to hire when things are good.”

While it’s difficult to gauge whether Yoshida’s thoughts have much merit to them, many studios have announced new rounds of layoffs in the last month alone. Among these have been Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive, Iron Galaxy Studios, and Moss developer Polyarc Games. Epic Games also saw major layoffs affecting over 1,000 of its workers thanks to declining interest in Fortnite.

An industry veteran, Yoshida had worked for Sony since 1993, when he joined the initial PlayStation team under Ken Kutaragi. While he spent much of his time at the company working with first-party development teams, he would eventually move over to handling the company’s indie development support teams – a move which he noted was due to his disagreements with at-the-time Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan. Yoshida ultimately left the company in January 2025.

It’s not just any extraction shooter, though – this is described as something “along the lines” of ARC Raiders, except with Disney characters. Sources claim that players will battle “enemies” and then extract, so best mentally prepare for teams of Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Moana with guns in advance.

Feedback from internal reviewers claims it’s not “very original,” but it’s reportedly slated to launch by this November. That’s not all, though. Two more games are allegedly in development, with one facing “middling internal reviews.” The other has seemingly been put on hold to prioritize the others (with Disney allegedly “disappointed by Epic’s release timeline”).

Whether this will contribute to any meaningful turnaround for Epic Games, which has seen lagging interest in Fortnite over the years, remains to be seen. With Disney investing $1.5 billion into the company, you’d better believe these titles, good or bad, are making it to market.

Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, check out one analyst’s take on the situation with Epic Games and Fortnite.

The embattled studio probably caught his eye when it laid off more than a thousand of its employees and had to work quickly to turn public sentiment around when it discovered that one of them was terminally ill. CEO Tim Sweeney’s assertion about layoffs having nothing to do with AI has been called into question in Dreunen’s analysis of why Epic and Fortnite are at the beginning of their end. He argues that gaming companies outside the US are looking into generative AI and creative ways to use it, which has yet to be done satisfactorily.

He also points to factors outside the purview of any gaming studio, such as an increased cost of living and one that Epic is already familiar with: an imbalance in platform holder rights that has been eating the studio’s profits while increasing its spending through legal costs.

“Empires don’t collapse all at once…They hollow out, slowly, until one day the walls come down and everyone acts surprised. We are currently somewhere in the middle of that process.”

Dreuner’s words may be a bitter pill to swallow for Epic, a studio that seemed like it would live forever. However, we’re hoping that it can confront its own mortality and find a suitable middle ground, keeping Fortnite and all the fun it brings alive in the process.