Epic Games Launcher preview adds Linux support as Fortnite plans depend on anti-cheat work

Epic Games opened a preview of its refreshed PC games launcher on October 14 for Windows, Mac and Linux, adding native Linux support to a project the company says is faster and more responsive. The existing launcher remains available. For Linux players, the preview creates an official route to Epic’s store, while the company’s plan to bring Fortnite to Linux still depends on further anti-cheat work.

Epic vice president Martin Keely, who oversees the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, told The Verge that AI helped the team build the launcher and reproduce core functions of the existing version. According to Keely, AI agents wrote and reviewed all the code, with the development team managing and supervising that work. He said AI also helped Epic offer the new launcher on Linux, after work on the project for most of the year.

What the launcher preview offers Linux players

The preview is a step toward making Epic’s PC storefront available through a native Linux launcher. GamingOnLinux reported testing a Windows game through the preview and seeing a one-time download for compatibility support. That test describes the outlet’s experience with one game; it does not establish how every Windows game in Epic’s catalogue will run on Linux. Epic’s claim that the rebuilt launcher is faster is likewise a company claim, rather than an independently measured result in the reporting.

The preview is also distinct from a full replacement of the current launcher. Keely told The Verge that Epic has not set a date when users must switch. He said a full launch depends on the new version reaching sufficient stability and feature parity. Those conditions matter to players who already use Epic’s launcher: access to a preview does not mean the company has finished transferring the experience they rely on to the rebuilt version.

Why Fortnite on Linux needs a new Easy Anti-Cheat version

Epic calls the rebuilt implementation Easy Anti-Cheat Linux v2. According to GamingOnLinux’s account of the announcement, its proposed protections include signed kernels, signed kernel modules and Secure Boot with attestation. These requirements make distribution-level support part of the rollout: Epic says it is beginning outreach to Linux community leaders as it works through them. The company plans to pilot the new anti-cheat version in Fortnite before offering it to other developers, subject to validating its effectiveness.

The Steam Deck presents a specific unresolved case. Epic said the device does not currently support the features required for Easy Anti-Cheat Linux v2 and that it is discussing the issue with Valve. As a result, the proposed Linux support does not yet establish Fortnite support on SteamOS. Epic has given no date for Fortnite’s Linux launch, leaving the timing tied to the anti-cheat pilot and the security work with distribution maintainers.

How AI was used to rebuild Epic’s launcher

Keely’s description places the launcher within Epic’s broader move toward AI-assisted development. The Verge reported that chief executive Tim Sweeney announced a company-wide push for AI-accelerated development on October 12. Keely described agents both generating and reviewing launcher code while people supervised the process. His account identifies how Epic says the software was made; the preview’s stability, feature coverage and speed remain matters for the rollout itself.

That strategy follows a difficult year for Epic’s workforce. The Verge reported that the company laid off more than 1,000 employees in March and quoted Sweeney saying at the time that the layoffs were not related to AI. The launcher announcement adds a concrete example of Epic’s current use of AI in software development, while its immediate practical effect for players is the preview on three operating systems and a stated, conditional path toward Fortnite on Linux.