Epic Games plans to loosen one of the firmer AI rules in its developer tools. In a post on X, CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic is working to remove a restriction in its end user license agreement that currently prevents AI training on outputs from Unreal Engine and MetaHuman, as Game Developer reports.
“Does Epic restrict AI training on outputs of Unreal Engine and MetaHuman?” Sweeney wrote. “Yes currently but we are working to remove this restriction from EULA terms, though each game using these tools is released under terms of the developers’ choosing which can allow or restrict AI training.”
In practice, that means the default would shift. Epic itself would no longer bar AI training on content made with its engine and digital human tool, but individual studios could still forbid it in the terms they attach to their own games. Epic has not said when the updated EULA will take effect or shared the new wording.
The comment came in a long post responding to an Oct. 26 Kotaku article that questioned whether companies like Epic and Microsoft were being hypocritical by going all in on AI while shutting down fan-made, AI-assisted recreations of their games. Sweeney argued the article conflated separate issues. “Does Epic let people use Fortnite IP without permission or compensation? No,” he wrote, framing the takedowns as a matter of copyright and licensing.
MetaHuman, Epic’s tool for building realistic digital characters, and Unreal Engine are used across a huge range of games, films and virtual productions. Opening their outputs to AI training could matter to studios that are wary of their work being used to build generative models, and to AI companies looking for high-quality 3D data.
The post fits a pattern. Sweeney has spent recent weeks on X arguing for AI-first development, and Epic recently had to walk back an AI requirement for its Unreal MegaJam after pushback from developers. Epic did not offer further comment to Game Developer on the planned EULA change.
