{
  "id": 14475121,
  "title": "‘We Vibe Coded a New Epic Games Launcher’ – Epic’s New Store App Was Built Using AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/we-vibe-coded-a-new-epic-games-launcher-epics-new-store-app-was-built",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-14T14:33:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/we-vibe-coded-a-new-epic-games-launcher-epics-new-store-app-was-built-using-ai"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Epic Games has unveiled an updated version of the Epic Games Launcher, its platform akin to Steam that grants access to the Epic Games Store, users' game libraries, social functionalities, and a developer's hub. Mirroring the company's emphasis on AI-assisted development, this latest iteration of the launcher was crafted utilizing generative artificial intelligence. \"Programming is hard,\" stated Epic in a recent blog post. \"So, rather than doing that, we vibe coded a brand new Epic Games Launcher that's significantly quicker and more responsive than the existing one, and boasts a fresh look.\" The phrase \"vibe coding\" is usually employed informally to refer to code developed through AI prompts, rather than through conventional coding proficiency. Surprisingly, Epic employs the term in its own product announcement. However, the specifics of how the company developed its new app remain unclear. During an IGN interview, Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Martin Keely discussed the application of AI within the development process. \"We've utilized AI as a tool as part of our development process,\" he explained. \"It's a high-profile issue in the industry, but for us, it enhanced our efficiency and enabled a small team to rewrite the codebase, facilitating a faster launch across platforms, including Windows, Mac, and a forthcoming Linux version.\" Bloomberg's recent report suggests that Epic developers have been motivated to employ Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, and that work on a future Star Wars/Marvel crossover project should be executed without any manual coding. Epic's founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, announced on X/Twitter that the company is reassigning developers to maximize AI acceleration. Addressing the extent of AI's role in the new launcher, Keely stated that it has focused on code efficiency and architecture, allowing for more rapid feature development. However, the visual design aspects have been handled by the usual Epic Games design team. Notably, this distinction has been made for the launcher, as Epic has been transparent about its use of generative AI for creating Fortnite skins. The studio's upcoming Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter is also rumored to employ AI for its visual assets, with Bloomberg's report indicating that all artwork for the project would be generated using full AI workflows. Epic has been open about its plans for the new launcher, previously speaking to Keely's predecessor Steve Allison, who mentioned that the app should be \"fast and snappy and just be what you expect, frankly.\" However, Epic faces a cultural challenge as most PC players have been entrenched in Valve's Steam ecosystem for years, with some doubting the Epic Games Store's competitiveness against Steam.",
  "summary": "Following reports of an AI push, Epic Games has revealed that the new EGS Launcher was \"vibe coded\" using artificial intelligence.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}