Fortnite adds 36 AI personas for creators on July 30

Epic Games is expanding AI-powered characters in Fortnite. Starting July 30th, creators will be able to publish experiences with characters that use AI-generated voices, and Epic is launching the feature with 36 characters that have what it calls “consistent voices and personas.”

The initial lineup includes familiar Fortnite faces such as Agent Jonesy, Peely, Fishstick, and Cuddle Team Leader, giving creators ready-made NPCs to drop into their islands.

Epic had already tested this approach with last year’s Darth Vader NPC, which used James Earl Jones' voice in a collaboration approved by the actor’s estate. Players quickly found ways to make Vader swear, though Epic patched that issue soon after. Not long after Vader debuted, the company said creators would eventually get tools to build AI-powered characters themselves.

Recommended reading

GTA 6 pre-orders hit $180 million in one week

According to Epic, the voices for the new personas are based on performances captured from independent professional actors specifically for use in developer-made islands. The company said those actors agreed to let their performances be used to build voice models that generate spoken responses for these LLM-powered Fortnite characters.

Epic also hinted at a bigger next step: bringing in voices tied to well-known actors already connected to the Fortnite universe. But that will require additional approvals.

“Our next step is to work with the relevant guilds and character voice actors who have previously worked on Fortnite Battle Royale to explore opportunities to make their original voices available across the Fortnite ecosystem.”

Epic began letting creators test their own AI characters earlier this year, alongside rules meant to limit misuse.