Your news feed is not supposed to change how you plan your next game trailer, but this one does.
A group of Elder Scrolls veterans just walked away from Unreal Engine 5 in the middle of production. They did it on purpose, they knew it would delay their launch, and they still felt it was the smarter move.
That single decision sparks a bigger question for every studio, brand, and video animation agency watching from the sidelines.
If one of the most talked-about RPGs in development can switch engines midstream, what does that say about the future of animation, 3D pipelines, and the tools you trust for your own projects?
In this piece, we use the latest Unreal Engine news as a lens to unpack where animation is heading next, and what that means for teams planning trailers, cutscenes, and cinematic explainers with Prolific Studio.
Unreal Engine News that Shook More than Just Game Dev Twitter
For years, the story felt simple. Big studios and ambitious indies moved to Unreal Engine 5, called it the smart choice, and pushed ahead.
The engine looked stunning in showreels. Many teams dropped their own game engines and adopted UE5 as their default game development software of choice.
Then, OnceLost Games, founded by Elder Scrolls legends Ted Peterson and the late Julian LeFay, decided to change course on their huge fantasy RPG Wayward Realms. They announced a full game engine switch away from UE5 to a custom fork of Wicked Engine, turning it into a proprietary game engine tailored to their needs.
This is not a tiny mobile project. The Wayward Realms is pitched as a large open-world RPG with dozens of islands, thousands of characters, and deep systems running under the hood.
So when the team says they are leaving Unreal behind for better control, speed, and stability, people pay attention.
OnceLost Games, Unreal Engine 5, and a Risky Mid-Project Turn
From the outside, the move looked bold, maybe even reckless.
OnceLost Games had already shown footage, built awareness, and set expectations. Then they told backers that Wayward Realms would be delayed to around mid-2026 so they could finish the transition to Unreal Engine 5.
The new tech stack is based on Wicked, a free engine that the team is shaping into its own toolset instead of writing everything from scratch. That choice gives them more game engine flexibility without throwing away years of content and design work.
It is a rare case of devs ditching industry standards on purpose. Epic Games cannot ignore that signal, because it cuts against the story that UE5 is the best default for every ambitious project.
For studios like Prolific, which often plug into game teams as a 3D animation studio or trailer partner, this kind of engine decision matters more than people think.
Performance over Graphics Bells and Whistles
So why walk away from such a popular engine?
The OnceLost team was clear. They were tired of fighting performance issues and build times. Their notes and interviews point to challenges with engine optimization, crashes, and the effort needed to keep a massive project smooth.
With the Wicked-based tech, they claim they can now:
- Achieve 30 FPS on old laptops without a dedicated GPU
- Hit nearly 30 FPS on a first-generation Switch
- Load a huge island cluster named Eyjar almost instantly
Those very specific targets are not just marketing lines. They have become hard technical goals that the whole project points to.
The Eyjar map (four times the size of Manhattan) is a serious stress test for any open title. The team says the new engine can stream that much content while keeping fast load times (~300 ms) for the editor and tools, which is a big win for day-to-day production.
For players who focus on low-end hardware performance is a relief. For technical artists, it sends another message: raw visual punch is not the only thing that matters anymore.
Resource-Intensive Engines vs Real Audience Needs
A lot of teams fell in love with UE5’s lighting tech and high-detail assets. The cost came later, when resource-intensive engines started to buckle under real content, not tech demos.
OnceLost Games is basically saying out loud what many devs whisper: if the engine gets in the way of actual game design, something has to give.
That mindset lines up with what we see in animation projects, too.
Studios do not just want pretty frames. They want fast iteration, stable tools, and renders that match the devices their players actually own.
When a team chooses performance over graphics bells and whistles, it signals a deeper shift in priorities for both game studios and the partners they hire.
What This Engine Pivot Means for Animation Teams
So what does a fantasy RPG’s tech choice have to do with your cinematic, explainer, or game trailer?
More than it seems.
When a headline project like Wayward Realms rethinks its tools, it highlights the tension between ambition and practicality. That tension is the same one any 3D animation studio, VFX house, or trailer team faces every time a new project lands.
You want shots that feel rich and alive. You also want tools that do not choke the moment scenes get big or the schedule gets tight.
Open-World Game Development Challenges Meet Real-Time Animation
The Wayward Realms is not just a big map. It is packed with dynamic systems, reactive characters, and procedural content. That kind of scope brings classic open-world game development challenges and piles them on top of every cinematic and cutscene.
Every cinematic, combat clip, and in-engine cutscene sits on top of those systems.
When your base tech fights you on loading times, memory, or tooling, creative work slows down. Animators wait for scenes to load, then wait again for previews to play back at full speed.
Fast load tools and simple controls make a huge difference to the mood of a production team. No one wants to spend half the day watching progress bars.
Community Modding Support and Its Significance for Animation
The OnceLost team did not just chase frames per second.
Their new tech stack aims to offer full community modding support outside the core systems, giving players and creators real freedom to extend the game. The plan is to let people tweak quests, assets, and systems around the edges while the main structure stays stable.
That kind of openness changes how we think about long-term animation content. When fans can plug in their own scenes, models, and scripts, studios and partners have to plan for content that can live side by side with mods for years.
A Custom Scripting Language (C#-inspired) for Long-Life Projects
To make that vision possible, the team is building a custom scripting language (C#-inspired) as a nod to the Daggerfall Unity community.
That choice is smart for two reasons:
- It lowers the barrier for modders who already know C# or similar syntax.
- It invites tech-savvy fans to treat the game as a platform, not just a one-and-done release.
For animation teams, this means your cinematics, character kits, and VFX may live inside a space that modders keep tinkering with. The story sequences you craft can inspire fan-made variants, reaction scenes, and alternative quest intros.
Studios like Prolific can support that by delivering clean, well-organised assets and an animation process that respects how modders actually work.
Nintendo Switch Support, Mobile Rigs, and the Push for Lean Animation
Another headline point from this engine shift is platform reach.
The new tech aims for solid Nintendo Switch support while still holding 30 FPS on old laptops with no dedicated GPU.
That is a huge statement in a time when many mainline games struggle on portable hardware.
For animation teams, this pushes us to care more about:
- Lightweight rigs that still feel expressive
- Smart use of textures and lighting instead of constant brute force
- Shots that look good at lower resolutions and bitrates
Your most loyal players might first see your work in a compressed port, not a pristine trailer. Planning for that early is part of modern craft.
What this Indie Dev Engine Decision Says About Top Animation Trends
This whole story is a textbook indie dev engine decision that ended up in headlines.
OnceLost is not a mega-publisher with unlimited cash. They are a focused team with a bold plan and a lot of history. Their move lines up with some top animation trends we see across games, brand films, and in-engine cinematics:
- Teams chasing reliability over hype
- More cross-engine pipelines, fewer “one tool rules all” setups
- Real-time previews for every stage of production
When engine news like this hits, it is not just tech gossip. It signals where budgets, expectations, and best practices are drifting.
Studios that react early get smoother projects. Studios that cling to one tool for everything end up burning time on fixes instead of story.
3D Modeling that Travels Between Engines
One way to stay future-proof is to treat 3D modeling as engine-agnostic.
Build a clean topology. Use clear naming conventions. Keep materials and UVs predictable. That way, when a client moves from one engine to another, your models come along without drama.
This is exactly how Prolific approaches long-term partnerships. Characters, props, and environments are built so they can move from pre-rendered pipelines into real-time scenes without a full rebuild.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some studios walking away from popular engines?
Teams like OnceLost are stepping back when the engine slows their progress or blocks features they care about. When performance goals, mod support, or platform coverage clash with the default tools, it can be smarter to build or customise your own stack than to keep patching the same problems.
How does this affect animation teams outside game development?
Even if you never ship a game, this trend affects you. Brands now ask how their assets will hold up across engines and platforms. They care about reuse, not just one campaign. Animation teams that plan for flexibility can sell clients on long-term content libraries instead of one-off videos.
Can Prolific Studio work with custom or proprietary engines?
Yes. Prolific already partners with teams using custom stacks, licensed engines, and hybrid setups. As long as we agree on formats, scopes, and performance targets, our team can plug into your tools and support you from early concept to final shots.
What should I focus on first if I want future-proof animation?
Start by locking three things:
- Clear performance targets across devices.
- An asset strategy that treats models, rigs, and textures as long-term investments.
- A partner who respects your tech choices and keeps communication simple.
From there, every trailer, teaser, or in-engine moment you commission can feed the same long-term vision.
Final Words
This news story is more than a tech update. It is a reminder that tools come and go, but smart planning sticks.
You can stay on Unreal, move to a new engine, or build your own path. What matters is that your animation, trailers, and storytelling keep up with your goals.
Prolific Studio is ready to be the steady piece of that puzzle.
If you are planning a launch, a Kickstarter push, require game trailer services, or a new phase for your live title, bring us your build, roadmap, and performance concerns.
We will help you shape a plan, deliver animation that respects your engine choices, and give your players and backers something they remember long after the loading screen fades.
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