React Native Godot 🎮, Canva Affinity 🎨, Epic Store Unified 🛒, Steam calendar 🗓️
Dev Tools & Design 🚀
React Native Godot: Embed Godot Engine Directly Into RN Apps
Born and Migeran have launched React Native Godot, an open-source framework that embeds the Godot Engine inside React Native apps on iOS and Android. The engine runs on a separate thread, supports start/stop/restart/pause, and can be reconfigured between restarts. Developers can embed Godot windows in RN screens and access the full Godot API from JS/TS. It’s production-tested at scale and available now on GitHub.
Canva Relaunches Affinity: Free All‑in‑One Design Suite, Premium AI
Canva has unified Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher into a single app that’s free forever. AI features like Generative Fill, Expand & Edit, and Remove Background are available only with Canva Premium, with Canva stating user work won’t train its AI. The redesigned Affinity introduces customizable studios to mix Vector, Pixel, and Layout tools. Legacy apps won’t get updates; the new Affinity is out now for Mac and Windows, with iPad coming soon.
Unreal Engine Deep Dives đź”·
Build Better Chaos: Non‑Destructive Physics with UE5 Dataflow
UE5’s Dataflow Graph brings a non-destructive, node-based workflow to Chaos assets—Destruction, Cloth, Flesh, and Groom—so you can iterate faster and safer. This session shows pull-based, cached evaluation, Simulation/Construction viewports, variable overrides, and subgraphs in action. See practical destruction recipes (fracturing, UV unwraps, texture baking, collisions, anchoring) and how 500+ nodes plus C++/Blueprint/Python APIs let you batch-convert and regenerate assets from a single graph. Automate pipelines, keep quality consistent, and ship more destruction with less rework.
Production-Ready MetaHuman Hair: Tools, Export, and Unreal Integration
Epic’s Unreal Fest session shows how to build top-tier MetaHuman hairstyles using guide-driven, procedural grooming in Houdini—then export cleanly to Unreal. Explore bun/braid/cornrow generators, multiclump hierarchies, and plug-and-play modulation nodes for fast iteration. Learn validation, Alembic export with correct attributes, and UE workflows for binding, wardrobe, physics, and LODs. Includes optimization tactics and Fab marketplace prep, plus a roadmap for parametric bases and facial hair tools.
Game Craft Techniques 🎮
Smart Car AI in Unity: Ackermann Steering with Auto-Reverse Escape
Prototype Everything demonstrates a Unity vehicle AI that applies Ackermann steering and a clever reachability check. If a target falls inside the car’s turn circle—making it mathematically unreachable—the system auto-shifts into reverse, flips steering, and “pulls” the target back into reach before resuming forward motion. Built in C# with URP, real-time physics, and custom steering algorithms, it’s a practical pattern for robust racing and sandbox AI.
Mastering Fortnite Lighting: Art Direction, Biomes, and Time-of-Day in UE5
Explore Fortnite’s lighting playbook from an art director’s perspective in this Unreal Fest session. Learn the scene principles behind compelling visuals, then apply them to world and biome-specific lighting that scales across platforms. The talk also demos the Day Sequence plugin to build a 24-hour cycle with full artistic control over sun, moon, stars, and atmosphere. Practical, repeatable workflows for crafting distinctive island moods in UE5.
Storefronts & Discoverability đź›’
Epic Games Store 2025–2026: Unified PC/Mobile, Preloads, Better Rev Share
Epic Games is unifying its store across PC and mobile by 2026, enabling cross-device shopping and remote installs. Near-term upgrades include pre-loading (late Q3), gifting by the holidays, a robust download manager, and 16 new languages, plus embedded web shops. Developers keep 100% of the first $1M/year, can opt into six months at 0% rev share, get a UE royalty cut for simship, and can bring their own payments. Mobile gains LLM-powered search, social, and wallet tools.
Steam Labs Debuts Personalized Release Calendar Tailored to Your Playtime
Steam has introduced a Personalized Calendar that spotlights recent and upcoming games you’re most likely to enjoy, using your playtime profile and similar players’ wishlists. Upcoming releases are mapped across weekdays, while recent titles appear in week and month views. You can filter by tags, tweak how many results appear (default 100), and your wishlist picks always show. It retrains daily and Steam’s seeking feedback to refine the experience.