Epic Games Plans AI MegaJam Contest Starting November 12
The four-day Unreal Engine/UEFN contest follows Epic's shift to an AI-first structure and its CEO's criticism of Steam's AI disclosure rule.
Epic Games will hold the "2026 Epic AI MegaJam", a contest in which participants make a game with Unreal Engine or UEFN using AI in four days, starting November 12, according to 4gamer.net. The announcement comes as the company moves to an "AI-first" development structure that makes full use of generative AI.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Steam's requirement to disclose AI-generated content in a post on October 23, 2026, arguing that most game production will use AI and that special labeling is therefore unnecessary. On October 12, 2026, Sweeney said the company was reorganizing so developers could make maximum use of AI, and Bloomberg reported an internal notice stating that code is no longer written by hand.
The policy extends to Epic's joint project with Disney, where a new shooter using Anthropic's Claude and other tools is in development; art asset production is also being reviewed. AI is additionally being used to find driver-related problems in the PC version of Fortnite and to revamp the Epic Games Launcher. An Epic executive vice president said engineers have shifted to a style of developing by giving instructions to AI.
Licensing and takedowns
Sweeney said restrictions on using Unreal Engine and MetaHuman outputs for AI training will be removed from future license terms, while developers of individual games made with Unreal Engine can decide whether to allow AI training. He argues that AI learning and copyright infringement should be distinguished.
Unofficial projects that run existing games in web browsers using generative AI have appeared one after another, as reported by Kotaku on October 26. Epic Games filed DMCA takedown requests against an unofficial browser version of Fortnite, and Microsoft did the same against unauthorized ports of Minecraft and other titles. Digital Sun Games, developer of ReVamp, decided not to hold its planned public playtest out of concern over AI copying before release.
Quick answers
When does the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam start?
It starts on November 12 and gives participants four days to make a game with Unreal Engine or UEFN using AI.
What did Tim Sweeney say about Steam's AI disclosure rule?
On October 23, 2026, he criticized the requirement, saying most game production will use AI so special labeling is unnecessary.
Will Unreal Engine outputs be allowed for AI training?
Sweeney said restrictions on using Unreal Engine and MetaHuman outputs for AI training will be removed from future license terms, while developers of individual games can decide whether to allow it.