Key Notes
- Epic acknowledged that its original FAQ incorrectly required AI, and the current MegaJam FAQ explicitly allows entrants to build without it.
- Solo developers and teams of up to five can build Unreal Engine or UEFN games from November 12–15, with online and San Francisco participation options.
- The competition offers cash awards and separate continuation grants of up to $50,000, with platform-specific submission requirements and eligibility rules.
Epic Games has made artificial intelligence optional for its upcoming AI MegaJam after its original participation requirements drew criticism from developers. The company acknowledged that the event’s FAQ had incorrectly said entrants must use AI, and clarified that teams can choose how much of the technology to include—or build without it.
The correction changes who can enter the November competition without changing its development platforms. Participants will still create a playable game using Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, known as UEFN. Epic’s current itch.io FAQ now answers the question of whether AI is required with a simple no.
Our FAQ originally said you had to use AI for the MegaJam. That’s our mistake.
— Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) October 22, 2026
Epic Corrects the Entry Requirement
In its October 22 response, the Unreal Engine account took responsibility for the earlier wording and said the FAQ and rules were being updated. The revised position permits developers to decide their own level of AI use, rather than making generated assets or coding agents a condition of participation.
The announcement’s marketing also attracted criticism. Its Matrix-inspired red-pill and blue-pill comparison presented AI-assisted development as a route to finishing games over a weekend, against a slower traditional prototyping process. The hand on the AI side had six fingers. PC Gamer documented objections to that framing, including the point that developers have been making games in short jams for many years without generative AI.
The practical result is a broader entry policy. A team can now take part using a conventional workflow while competing in the same event as teams experimenting with AI. That does not remove the jam’s AI branding or the specialized award for UEFN games with language-model-powered characters.
Four Days to Build in November
The event page schedules development for November 12–15, with the theme revealed during a November 11 kickoff livestream. Developers can work alone or form teams of up to five people. Online participation is available, and the San Francisco gathering at Digital Jungle runs November 14–15 with separate, capacity-limited registration.
Epic lists participants from Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and other technology companies for the in-person event. Attending that gathering is not necessary to submit a game: the FAQ says online and in-person entries receive the same judging treatment.
Entrants must choose either Unreal Engine or UEFN for their submission. Unreal Engine teams supply a packaged playable build; UEFN teams submit a fixed private version code. Both routes require a 30–60 second gameplay video. The published deadline is November 15 at 5:59 p.m. Pacific, and entrants should check the official rules for full eligibility and licensing requirements.
Cash Awards and Continuation Grants
Epic’s announcement separates competition prizes from support for further development. Best Overall Unreal Engine, Best Overall UEFN and Best Student Project each award $7,500 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third. Additional categories recognize solo developers, team projects, visuals, mobile games and development logs.
Selected entries can also receive continuation grants of up to $50,000 to keep working after the jam. That maximum is not a payment promised to everyone who participates. Submissions can win one main category and one modifier category, subject to the official rules.
The dispute follows Epic’s wider push to incorporate AI into game production, which we covered earlier this month. For developers considering this event, the clearest change is the corrected eligibility rule: an Unreal Engine or UEFN project can enter without adopting an AI workflow.
