These sound like statements made out of frustration, not based on facts. We’re working with one of (if not the) most powerful open-source engines available, for free. Epic contributes massive amounts of energy to their engine, integrating hundreds of pull-requests, implementing feature requests, fixing bugs, so-on-and-so-forth. Let’s not forget how much knowledge and training they make available via documentation and live-stream training sessions. Members from the Epic staff release content goodies regularly, as well.
Now do the big, paying studios get a priority in the grand scheme of things? Of course- Epic still has bills to pay and employees to feed, and a profit to be made. Welcome to the real world. Still… we the community reap plenty of rewards and free stuff. If someone doesn’t like something, they aren’t being handcuffed here. Plenty of other options, like GameMaker for those types.
Back on the topic of LPV/GI in general… We have a few options available now, and none of them are a magic bullet. I’ve worked with all of the options, obscure to “official”. One can definitely make well performing and amazing looking scenes using any of them, with enough research and tinkering. Are any of them a drop-in, one button solution to complete sandbox, open-world and indoor GI lighting? Nope- get to work and do what you can with you have, and pray to the gods that the magic bullet is being engineered.
Epic isn’t stupid. They’ve been around for at least a few days in this crazy industry. Chances are they know how powerful and desired GI is. While the whole debacle with poor Lionhead getting put on the chopping block sucks and surely threw a monkey in the LPV wrench, I’d bet Epic is hard at work or at least has their eye on a badass solution for then engine in the GI department.