"AI to Revolutionize Game Development: Tim Sweeney Foresees Small Teams Creating 'Breath of the Wild' with AI-Generated Dialogue"

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney envisions a future where small development teams can leverage AI prompts to create expansive, high-quality video games comparable to Nintendo’s acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Speaking at Epic’s State of Unreal 2025 event—where CD Projekt unveiled a breathtaking tech demo for The Witcher 4—Sweeney emphasized that AI integration will become “a fundamental part” of modern game engines. He believes this shift will unlock “entirely new genres of games that weren’t possible or practical before.”

Epic's Tim Sweeney is all in on AI. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg.

“Every significant advance in technology has led to the rise of new games,” Sweeney explained. “I remember when 3D gaming first became feasible—then came Doom and Wolfenstein, pioneering the 3D shooter. The battle royale genre itself only emerged once hardware and engines could support a hundred players in a single match.”

He sees AI as the next major leap. “With AI-driven characters enabling infinite dialogue through simple creator setups, small teams will be able to build games filled with richly interactive worlds and vast character rosters. How hard would it be for a 10-person team to make a game like Zelda: Breath of the Wild if AI handles all the dialogue, and you’re only writing character summaries? That’s absolutely within reach in the next few years.”

Sweeney’s strong support for AI is well known, and Epic Games is moving full speed ahead. Last month, AI-powered Darth Vader made his debut in *Fortnite*, marking a milestone for the platform. The character can sing, join or leave squads dynamically, respond intelligently to players, deliver contextual dialogue, summarize in-game events, and even warn of impending threats.

The AI voice model is based on the legendary James Earl Jones, who passed away in September 2024 at the age of 93. This digital recreation, powered by Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash model and ElevenLabs’ Flash v2.5, was developed with the full approval of Jones’ family.

The introduction sparked debate over the ethical implications of using generative AI—especially when it involves recreating voices of deceased performers. However, Sweeney remains confident in AI’s positive impact.

“I see AI as a tool to empower human creators, enabling them to produce content more efficiently,” he said. “That’s a good thing. It’s unfortunate that the rise of modern AI has been marred by companies scraping vast amounts of content from others online. But at its core, AI should act as a multiplier—amplifying our creative capabilities.”

He added, “Empowering indie teams to build larger, more immersive games also means AAA studios can push boundaries even further, crafting monumental experiences with unprecedented polish. There will be a massive evolution as developers adapt and master these new tools. And like any transformative technology that’s improved our lives, the net benefit for creators and players alike will be overwhelmingly positive.”

Despite criticism surrounding AI Darth Vader, Epic is pressing forward, announcing plans to allow players to create their own AI-driven NPCs in Fortnite.