A decade of Unreal Source
Unreal Source turns ten! Plus: a roundup of the latest news.
Nick Pfisterer •
Unreal Source is ten years old.
Yes. Really. A decade ago, I extended an invitation to the Unreal Engine community: to join a new chat group called Unreal Slackers. The early days were scrappy, intimate, and uncertain. For a while, I wasn't sure if it would take off or quietly vanish into the ether.
It did not vanish.
Born from a desire to find a more welcoming and efficient alternative to IRC and Skype, this humble Slack workspace quickly became a haven for developers seeking camaraderie and shared knowledge. What began as an experiment—a modest gathering of like-minded individuals—has since evolved into the largest independent community for Unreal developers worldwide.
Artists, coders, designers, audio engineers, and everyone in between—we have all gathered not around a product, but around a pursuit. A pursuit of knowledge, of craft, of something that connects us to each other and to those who enjoy our creations.
What we share here is more than code or technique. It is a spirit — a desire not just to create, but to understand. To demystify Unreal Engine. To decipher its vast and intricate workings, and harness its power with elegance. In this, we are not merely developers. We are stewards of something arcane. Something potent. Something shared.
As we cross into our second decade, my vision is simple: to honor what we’ve built and carry it forward with care. This means renewed support for the Discord server, new features that better serve the needs of our community, and quality-of-life improvements you've long requested.
The path ahead is rich with possibility. But for today, let us pause and mark the hour.
To everyone who has asked a question, answered one, shared a project, made us laugh, or simply been present — thank you. You have made this place what it is.
To our wonderful Discord moderation team — thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to make our community one of the best on the internet. You all have my deepest gratitude.
Here's to another ten years.
In other news...
- Unreal Engine 5.6 Preview is now live on the Epic Games Launcher, GitHub, and Linux. This update focuses on high-performance open worlds, major upgrades to the animation toolset, and the long-awaited integration of MetaHuman Creator directly in-engine — including new sculpting tools and real-time workflows. As always, preview builds are experimental and not production-ready, so proceed with care and copy your projects before testing.
- Epic has launched an overhauled Royalty Reporting system in the Developer Portal to make Unreal Engine royalty submissions simpler, faster, and more transparent. The new system features automatic royalty calculations, quarterly reminders, and a unified history of past reports — replacing the older manual process. If your project has surpassed the $1M revenue threshold or you're reporting royalties for the first time, you’ll now use this streamlined portal going forward.
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney joined Lex Fridman for a sprawling 4-hour conversation exploring the future of digital worlds, the open metaverse, and the evolving role of game engines in society. The discussion spans topics like Epic’s origin story, their long-term vision, the intersection of games and reality, Sweeney’s thoughts on open ecosystems vs. walled gardens, and, of course, his plans for Verse and Unreal Engine 6. It’s an unusually candid and reflective glimpse into the mind behind Unreal Engine.
- Epic Games has acquired Loci, a leading developer of AI-powered tools for 3D content tagging and similarity detection. Loci’s technology automates the classification of 3D assets, improving searchability in Fab, indexing in UEFN, and enhancing IP protection across the ecosystem. This move signals Epic’s growing investment in AI-assisted workflows to streamline content creation and safeguard digital assets.
- Unreal Fest Orlando 2025 kicks off next week, gathering developers, artists, and industry leaders from across the ecosystem. This year, the State of Unreal keynote will be broadcast live from the event for the first time ever, featuring new demos, partner announcements, and major updates. The livestream begins June 3 at 9:30 AM EDT on YouTube and Twitch. We'll be hosting a watch party in our Discord server, so come join us as we witness what’s next for Unreal together. Details will be announced soon.
- Epic has released its Q3 Promotional Guide for the Epic Games Store, outlining a packed schedule of upcoming discounts from June through October. Key sales include Epic Savings, the Summer Sale, and the End of Summer Sale, each with its own submission deadline. If you're planning a promotion, now is the time to check cooldown rules and get your discounts submitted via the Developer Portal.
- Can itch.io success translate to Steam success? Chris Zukowski sought to answer this question with a data-rich writeup exploring whether indie games that gain traction on itch.io can carry that momentum to Steam. The conclusion: strong early interest on itch is a necessary sign of potential, but not a guarantee of later success. The author recommends building polished prototypes quickly, testing market interest on itch, and watching for signs — streamers, traffic spikes, or features — that your game might have the magic.
Until next time
That’s all for now. As spring gives way to summer here in the northern hemisphere, we’re feeling renewed — and ready for what’s next. We’ll have a full writeup of everything announced during the State of Unreal keynote next week, so stay tuned. Until then.