A crossover between Epic Games’ Fortnite and Poncle’s Vampire Survivors appears to be hanging in the balance, as Poncle wants to reconsider the collaboration following Epic’s demonstration of how it uses generative AI. Epic Games has made no secret of its efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its workflow for games like Fortnite, though it has insisted the goal is to improve efficiency rather than “creation.”
In May 2026, for example, an Epic Games manager said, “Epic has been exploring different AI tooling that we can use to help support our games.” Later that month, however, Fortnite was accused of using AI to generate a promotional image, sparking backlash from the community. The image featured several unusual details, including distorted and inaccurate logos, which prompted Epic Games to remove it from its social media accounts. Now, the company could miss out on a collaboration because of how it has integrated generative AI into its development process.
Poncle Is Reviewing Vampire Survivors’ Fortnite Collaboration
In a post shared on Reddit and Discord, the indie developer behind the hit bullet heaven game Vampire Survivors explained that the team wants to reconsider the teased Fortnite crossover. The post stated, “Following today’s news about gen AI usage by Epic to create all sorts of game assets, including Fortnite characters, we’re currently reviewing our collaboration with Fortnite.”
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The statement does not necessarily mean Poncle will pull out of the Fortnite crossover. However, it suggests the developer is unhappy with the direction Epic Games is taking with its game development process. Poncle’s response follows a video published on Unreal Engine’s YouTube channel that showcases how its concept artists use tools such as Nano Banana to transform their original ideas into in-game assets and concepts.
The video in question emphasizes that tools like Nano Banana are not solely responsible for generating assets and that Epic Games artists remain in control of the final result throughout the process. In one example, an artist creates a rough 2D sketch of a Fortnite character before prompting the AI tool to “clean up the rendering on this Fortnite character. Don’t change the design, just rendering.” Unsurprisingly, the AI partially ignores the instruction and alters several aspects of the character’s design. Epic Games argues that this is where human oversight comes in, with artists reviewing and correcting any unwanted changes to ensure the final result meets the intended vision.
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In recent months, gamers have been increasingly vocal about their skepticism toward the use of genAI in video game development. A quick look at the comments section of Epic Games’ YouTube videos reflects a similar sentiment. Most top comments call out the company for trying to impose “AI slop” on its artists’ workflows, with some arguing it makes little sense to use a tool so prone to mistakes in the name of “saving time.” Whether Epic Games will respond to the backlash remains to be seen. For now, at least one independent developer, Poncle, has reacted to the company’s enthusiasm for generative AI tools, which could cost Fortnite a major collaboration in 2026.
- Released
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September 26, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
