Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney predicts that small development teams will soon be able to use AI-generated prompts to create games on the scale of Nintendo's acclaimed masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

In a conversation with IGN during Epic's State of Unreal 2025 event—where CD Projekt showcased a striking tech demo for The Witcher 4—Sweeney stated that AI prompts are set to become "a fundamental part" of game engines, paving the way for "entirely new genres of games that were previously unachievable or impractical."

“Every major technological leap has led to the emergence of new kinds of games,” Sweeney pointed out.

“I remember when 3D gaming first became viable—games like Doom and Wolfenstein pioneered the 3D shooter genre. Similarly, the battle royale genre only took off once hardware and engines were capable of supporting a hundred players in one shared environment.

“With AI-powered characters, creators can generate limitless dialogue using straightforward setups, allowing small teams to craft games populated by a vast cast of characters and deeply interactive worlds. Imagine a ten-person team developing an experience like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where AI handles all the dialogue and creators simply outline character personalities. That kind of creative capacity is just around the corner.”

Sweeney's enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is no secret, and Epic Games is embracing it wholeheartedly. Last month, Fortnite introduced an AI-powered Darth Vader, a first for the battle royale title. This version of the iconic villain can sing, join or leave squads at will, engage in intelligent conversation, deliver spontaneous lines, summarize gameplay, and alert players to impending threats.

The voice of Darth Vader is provided by the legendary James Earl Jones, who passed away in September 2024 at age 93. This AI rendition of his voice—powered by Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash and ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5—is used with the consent of the Jones family.

This innovation has ignited a debate about the ethics of generative AI, especially when used to recreate the voices of deceased actors for non-playable characters like Darth Vader. Despite these concerns, Sweeney believes AI offers a net positive for society.

“I view AI as a tool that amplifies human creativity and efficiency,” he explained. “That is a positive development. It's regrettable that the early adoption of modern AI has been marred by corporations harvesting content from websites without permission. But at its core, this technology should enhance our capabilities.

“Empowering indie studios to build more ambitious and polished games also means giving AAA teams the ability to create breathtakingly vast, meticulously detailed worlds. I expect a significant evolution as developers master these new tools. Like other transformative technologies, AI will ultimately expand human potential.”

Unfazed by the controversy surrounding AI Darth Vader, Epic has announced it will soon allow Fortnite players to design their own AI-driven NPCs.