Tim Sweeney says friend groups are a hurdle for new multiplayer games

In comments published June 22, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney argued that new multiplayer games struggle to draw players away from the friend groups they already play with.

Cross-game features as a possible answer

Sweeney pointed to cross-game features planned for Unreal Engine 6 as a way to address that challenge. The idea, as described, is aimed at reducing the social barrier that can keep players anchored to existing games.

His remarks put the focus on how multiplayer games build and retain communities, not just on the games themselves. The metadata does not detail how Unreal Engine 6’s cross-game features would work.