Developers react to the PS5 Unreal Engine 5 demo

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The unexpected reveal of the Unreal Engine 5 on Wednesday triggered reactions from just about everyone, from us regular gamers to the devs who actually work with the hardware. So while we're busy, jaws agape, trying to sophisticate the expression "holy crap," industry experts are... well, actually, they're pretty much doing the same thing.

First up is God of War director and creative director at Sony Santa Monica Cory Barlog, who expressed his amazement by writing out a familiar gif. It's a simple expression, but aptly sums up the reaction by many of us watching Epic's stunning PS5 tech demo.

Then there's game designer at Naughty Dog Asher Einhorn, who called the demo footage "mindblowing." Einhorn followed up with a muddled expression of astonishment. And he didn't stop there, later reminding his followers to check out a video of the PS5 Unreal Engine 5 tech demo and calling it "pretty good." It's safe to say someone at Naughty Dog is excited to get their hands on the shiny new engine.

Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst joined the chorus of awe-stricken reactions to Wednesday's big reveal with this concise expression:

NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has also written about the Unreal Engine 5 reveal, but not in the same way others have. Instead of expressing excitement for the new tech, Boon took the moment to joke about his game industry veteran status.

We've also seen reactions from industry leaders who aren't developers in the strictest sense, but are no less influential voices in the field. Xbox boss Phil Spencer, for example, took to Twitter to express his eagerness to take advantage of Unreal Engine 5 "innovations" for the Xbox Series X games.

The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley played mediator and reminded both Xbox and PlayStation fans what Unreal Engine 5 will mean for games on both consoles.

Here's why Ben Tyrer reckons the PS5 and Xbox Series X will need to show off first-party games to meet players' expectations in the lead-up to next-gen.