Forward-looking: Vehicle infotainment systems have a come a long way in recent years but still really aren't anything to write home about. As with any new user interface or form factor, it takes time to figure out how to best utilize it. In-vehicle infotainment systems are no different and with any luck, Epic will help automakers get there sooner.

Epic Games on Wednesday announced a new human-machine interface (HMI) initiative that'll see the company utilize Unreal Engine as the foundation for in-vehicle infotainment systems and other "digital cockpit experiences."

The first vehicle to make use of Epic's Unreal Engine will be none other than GMC's all-electric Hummer.

In a short video accompanying the announcement, Epic illustrated what is possible when designing an infotainment system using Unreal Engine. We also learned that Epic is working to bring Unreal Engine to BlackBerry's QNX Neutrino Real-time Operating System (RTOS).

It's certainly promising and as François Antoine, director of HMI and embedded systems at Epic notes, could add a whole new level of interactivity, flexibility and visual fidelity to future systems.

GMC back in January teased its all-new Hummer EV, promising a truck with 1,000 horsepower, an insane amount of torque and a 0-60 mph time of around three seconds. Full details were expected in May but the briefing was postponed due to Covid-19. The automaker's "supertruck" is now set to break cover on October 20.