Epic adds 36 AI-voiced characters for Fortnite creators
Fortnite island makers will be able to use AI-driven voices and personas for 36 Epic-provided characters starting July 30.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Epic Games will let Fortnite creators publish islands with conversational AI characters starting July 30, the company said, bringing AI voice tools into user-made Fortnite experiences. The launch gives creators 36 existing Fortnite characters they can use as NPCs with set voices and personalities.
Epic said the initial group includes familiar Fortnite characters such as Agent Jonesy, Peely, Fishstick and Cuddle Team Leader. The company described the characters as having consistent voices and personas for creators building developer-made islands.
The feature is tied to large language model conversations in Fortnite’s creator tools. Epic has already been allowing creators to test AI characters this year, and The Verge reported that the company has published rules meant to reduce the risk of problematic behavior from those characters.
Epic said the new voices are based on performances recorded by independent professional actors for use in creator-built islands. According to Epic, those actors agreed that their performances could be used to build voice models that generate spoken lines for the LLM-powered Fortnite characters.
The company’s move follows an earlier experiment with an AI-powered Darth Vader character in Fortnite. The Verge reported that the Vader NPC used James Earl Jones’ voice with approval from Jones’ estate.
That test also showed some of the risks of letting players talk freely with AI characters. The Verge reported that players managed to make the Darth Vader character swear, and Epic later said it had fixed the issue.
After that debut, Epic said Fortnite creators would eventually be able to build AI-powered characters of their own. The July 30 rollout gives them a ready-made set of Fortnite characters before broader use of the technology expands across the platform.
Fortnite creator Shiina posted a video on X showing examples of some of the new AI voices. In the post, Shiina said the 36 Fortnite skins now have AI voices and noted Epic’s statement that the voices come from independent professionals who agreed to have their performances used for voice models.
Epic also signaled that it wants to work with more recognizable Fortnite voice talent in the future. The company said its next step is to work with relevant guilds and voice actors who have previously contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale to explore making their original voices available across Fortnite.
That effort would require approvals from the actors and groups involved, according to Epic’s statement. For now, the creator release is limited to the 36 Epic-provided AI personas and the voice models built from actors who agreed to that use.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.