Epic Games released a preview of a redesigned Epic Games Launcher on October 14 for Windows, Mac and, for the first time, Linux. The company also says it plans to bring Fortnite to Linux through the new app, though it hasn’t given a date, according to The Verge.
Anti-cheat rebuild comes first
Epic’s Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) service already supports Linux, but Fortnite doesn’t. Back in February 2022, CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic wasn’t confident it could fight cheating at scale across the many kernel configurations Linux users run. In a blog post, Epic now says it is rebuilding the anti-cheat software, calling the new version EAC Linux v2, and working with distro maintainers on security requirements. Once enough distro maintainers are on board, Fortnite will come to Linux via the launcher. Epic says it will also offer these improvements to other developers who want to ship games on Linux.
Fortnite will be the first game to test EAC Linux v2. Epic engineering director Rick Deist told The Verge there is no timeline for a Linux release. He added that Epic is looking into compatibility with Valve’s SteamOS. Epic Games Store VP and GM Martin Keely said the company has no plans to put Fortnite on the Steam store. Epic also said the Steam Deck currently lacks features its EAC v2 solution needs, but that it is talking with Valve and hopes to support the device later.
A launcher built with AI agents
In its blog post, Epic said the new launcher was “vibe coded” and described it as faster and more responsive than the current version, with a new look. Keely told The Verge the team has worked on it for most of this year. He said AI helped with testing, with recreating the old launcher’s core features and with making a Linux version possible. “We definitely had agents write and review all of the code,” Keely said. He added that the developers oversaw and managed the whole process.
The current launcher will stay available for now. Keely said Epic has no set date for moving everyone to the new version. The full launch will come once the new launcher is stable and matches the old one where needed.
The launcher news follows Sweeney’s announcement this week of a company-wide pivot toward AI-accelerated development. Epic laid off more than 1,000 employees in March, and Sweeney said at the time that the cuts were not related to AI.
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