The development of modern cars is very noticeable in recent years. It is already difficult to imagine a new car without a large touch screen, various sensors, and various “smart” features. But most of the time, the interfaces and graphics used by car brands are difficult to associate with the word “modern.”

That’s why some car manufacturers have started working with companies that we’re more used to seeing in the context of computers and games. One such example is Mercedes, where NVIDIA is now supporting multimedia systems. Another manufacturer that has embarked on a bold experiment will be Volvo, which has recently switched to using Android in new cars, and this time is working with Epic Games to help develop photorealistic interfaces on Unreal Engine.

Volvo said Epic would be able to help develop a new platform that would improve the human-machine interface. This is an important element to improve the user experience. And here the hopes of the automaker fall on Unreal Engine.

“This technology gives us the capability to create responsive, really high quality visuals that we can play with and layer in information, create realistic representations when needed, all of those kinds of things. So it’s really about creating the next generation of HMI for our customers,” said Thomas Stovicek, Head of Volvo Customer Relations.

So Unreal Engine will build graphics and animations, display navigation, battery status information, and more. The interface will also collect data from all available sensors (cameras, radars, leaders, etc.) and provide the driver with this information without “overloading” him, as Volvo cares about safety first and foremost.

Of course, Epic Games is also interested in such cooperation. This is not the first car manufacturer the company is starting to work with, just before it joined forces with General Motors to work on the Hummer EV.

Heiko Wenczel, head of the Detroit Epic Games lab, added that with the current maintenance of cars, it is much more interesting to recognize them as another platform for HMI interaction. Gaming technology can greatly improve this experience.

At present, neither Volvo nor Epic share information on the timing and models of cars in which new joint developments can be seen.