This may be because it allows setting up some of the in-built features with a single checkbox or using the tools for simple use cases effeciently, but what about the whole AAA development process that requires a lot of optimization, iteration, custom features and tools, third-party integrations, etc.?
That is definitely not something I can speak of on a personal experience basis but my two friends are of the opinion that even higher level, advanced, additions, modifications and code optimization are fairly easy to pick up on and integrate. Again, they are industry vets. One of them has been in the industry for over 15 years, the other is going on his 18th year. They've been at this for a very long time.
I, and their other testers, can certainly vouch for that. Their game has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 6 months while maintaining impressive performance. Especially considering how they've been leveraging the engine's full graphical power lately. Granted, their game is an indie game and isn't on the same scale as an AAA production but since they're both industry vets who both have been/are involved in AAA projects at various levels, I'm inclined to believe them when they tell me it's easy to pick up.
As far as third party additions, that's a different story. That can require extensive work between EPIC, said third party and CDPR for sure. Other third parties, like say AMD, are already ahead of the curve and releasing plug-ins for some features to be easy to integrate into UE5. FSR, for example, (again, the friends told me this) was ridiculously simple to integrate. UE was always a popular engine but it's popularity has increased tremendously over the last few years. A lot of third parties seem to see the writing on the wall and are taking the necessary steps to make UE integration of their specific solution easier.
Let's also not forget that CDPR's deal with EPIC wasn't described as a typical licensing agreement but a
partnership. A 15 years partnership. There are some RPG specific tools that UE, in it's current form, does not have or has more rudimentary versions of. In other words, I suspect EPIC and CDPR are working closely together to improve the engine as a whole, not just for CDPR's specific purposes. Considering the 15 years timeline, I suspect that's also meant to make UE5 and it's future versions far more interesting for studios interested in creating deeper RPGs.
EPIC already releases a lot of information to help would be studios/developers. They also have a pretty good reputation for helping licencees who need help. Considering the chosen wording of partnership, I would be tremendously surprised if CDPR isn't getting some superior support from EPIC when needed. Of course, that's speculation on my part. There just no way for us to know the specifics of CDPR's deal and working relation with EPIC.
