Epic Games has unveiled a new launcher – and is praising itself for having an AI write it. This very fact is now causing a stir.
The launcher is available as a preview for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Epic intends to further develop it with community feedback. According to GameStar, it's supposed to take only about half as long as Steam for a "cold start," and everything within the launcher itself is also said to run more smoothly.
How Was the New Epic Launcher Built?
Entirely via Vibe Coding: The developers had an AI write the code. Epic commented on this by saying that programming is hard, so they quickly built a faster launcher with a new design. The first version is "more like a speedboat than a yacht" – a jab at Valve boss Gabe Newell. It already includes modern e-commerce technology like a shopping cart.
How Is the Community Reacting?
Enthusiasm is rather muted. Under the announcement post, users are asking if start-up speed is truly the reason for using Steam, or how quickly they can uninstall the launcher again. Some are taking the AI's involvement as a reason not to even test it. Others report they haven't encountered any bugs and that loading times are pleasantly short.
Is the Speed Advantage Over Steam Meaningful?
From our point of view, only somewhat: The launcher still lacks many features, which likely explains at least some of the speed advantage. It will be interesting to see what remains when the feature set grows. Epic is also relying on AI for other projects, as our report on the Disney shooter with "AI First" shows. Anyone using the Epic Games Store can try out the preview.
Source: GameStar
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