After introducing AI Darth Vader to Fortnite, Epic Games has now announced that players will soon be able to create their own AI-driven NPCs within the expansive battle royale game.
The AI Darth Vader character arrived in Fortnite last month. This unique NPC can sing to players, freely join or leave squads, engage in intelligent conversation, deliver spontaneous dialogue, summarize in-game events, and warn players of impending danger.
The character is voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones, who passed away in September 2024 at 93. This AI-powered version of his voice—utilizing Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash model and ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5—is authorized by the Jones family.
Shortly after the feature launched, Fortnite players managed to trick Vader into using language more fitting of the Dark Lord, including profanity. Epic Games quickly issued a patch to address this.
AI Darth Vader appears to have been a pilot project. At the State of Unreal 2025 event, Epic detailed upcoming tools for creators to build custom AI-powered NPCs using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). A live demonstration showed how the new Persona Device will allow creators to design characters with distinct personalities that players can interact with through conversation. Creators will be able to select their NPC’s voice style, delivery, and defining traits.
“We are applying the lessons from the Darth Vader project and providing the core technology to our creator community,” an Epic representative stated.
In addition, major franchises are coming to UEFN, including Squid Game starting June 27, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and official Star Wars features, templates, and assets. Lego-style brick-by-brick building will also be introduced to UEFN on June 17 alongside the new LEGO Bloom Tycoon template.
In other announcements from State of Unreal 2025, Epic Games and CD Projekt Red showcased an impressive Unreal Engine 5 technical demo for the upcoming The Witcher 4.
