Verse Has a Free API: Epic Games' New Language for the Unreal Editor and Beyond

#gamedev #programming #unreal #epic

Verse is Epic Games' new programming language for Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and future Unreal Engine projects. It combines functional programming concepts with a visual game development workflow.

Why Verse Matters

Unreal Engine uses C++ and Blueprints (visual scripting). Verse sits in between — more accessible than C++, more powerful than Blueprints, with unique features like failure contexts and speculative execution.

What you get for free:

Native Unreal Engine integration
Failure contexts (like try/catch but more powerful)
Speculative execution for game logic
Gradual typing (start loose, add types as you go)
Concurrency primitives designed for games
Built-in support for Fortnite Creative modding

The Basics

using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/Diagnostics }

hello_world_device := class(creative_device):
    OnBegin<override>()<suspends> : void =
        Print("Hello from Verse!")

        # Variables
        Name : string = "Verse"
        Score : int = 100
        IsActive : logic = true

        Print("Name: {Name}, Score: {Score}")

Functions

# Pure function
Add(A : int, B : int) : int =
    A + B

# Function with failure context
SafeDivide(A : float, B : float)<decides><transacts> : float =
    if (B = 0.0):
        false?  # Fail — caller must handle
    A / B

# Using failable functions
Calculate() : void =
    if (Result := SafeDivide(10.0, 3.0)):
        Print("Result: {Result}")
    else:
        Print("Division failed")

Classes and Inheritance

weapon := class:
    Name : string
    Damage : int
    FireRate : float

    Fire() : void =
        Print("{Name} fires for {Damage} damage!")

    Reload()<suspends> : void =
        Print("Reloading {Name}...")
        Sleep(2.0)
        Print("{Name} reloaded!")

rifle := class(weapon):
    BurstCount : int = 3

    Fire<override>() : void =
        for (I := 0..BurstCount):
            Print("Burst {I}: {Damage} damage!")

Failure Contexts (Key Feature)

# 'decides' means this function can fail
FindPlayer(Name : string)<decides><transacts> : player =
    for (P : Players):
        if (P.Name = Name):
            return P
    false?  # Fail if not found

# Caller handles failure naturally
GreetPlayer() : void =
    if (Player := FindPlayer("Alice")):
        Print("Hello, {Player.Name}!")
    else:
        Print("Player not found")

# Chain failable operations
ComplexQuery()<decides><transacts> : result =
    Player := FindPlayer("Alice")
    Weapon := Player.GetEquippedWeapon()
    if (Weapon.Damage > 50):
        return result{Player := Player, Weapon := Weapon}
    false?

Concurrency for Games

game_manager := class(creative_device):
    OnBegin<override>()<suspends> : void =
        # Run multiple game systems concurrently
        race:
            SpawnEnemies()
            ManagePowerUps()
            TrackScore()

    SpawnEnemies()<suspends> : void =
        loop:
            Sleep(5.0)
            SpawnEnemy()
            Print("Enemy spawned!")

    ManagePowerUps()<suspends> : void =
        loop:
            Sleep(15.0)
            SpawnPowerUp()
            Print("Power-up available!")

    TrackScore()<suspends> : void =
        loop:
            Sleep(1.0)
            UpdateScoreboard()

Arrays and Iteration

ProcessScores() : void =
    Scores : []int = array{95, 87, 73, 62, 88}

    # Filter and transform
    HighScores := for (Score : Scores, Score > 80):
        Score

    # Sum
    var Total : int = 0
    for (Score : HighScores):
        set Total += Score

    Print("High score total: {Total}")

Useful Links

Building game data pipelines? Check out my developer tools on Apify for ready-made web scrapers, or email spinov001@gmail.com for custom solutions.

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