UNREAL CHANGER

The Problem with Renaming Unreal Engine Projects

Developing games on Unreal Engine is no easy task - you never know where a concept or idea might lead.

During development, almost anything can change, from game assets to the project’s entire name.

We’ve faced this situation multiple times, leading to a seemingly simple but frustrating challenge: renaming an Unreal Engine project.

The issue is that connections within the project are tightly bound to its original name, especially when working with C++ code. Attempts to rename the project often disrupt these links, causing assets to lose their hierarchical roots. This break in the chain can lead to asset failures, which in turn cascade and damage other assets, potentially destroying the entire project.

Existing Solutions: Unreal or Overly Complex

When we searched for existing solutions, none seemed viable. Many developers who encountered this issue considered it either unreal or overly complex to resolve.

The standard workaround involved creating a new project from scratch under a new name, manually transferring C++ code and resources from the old project to the new one - a painstaking and time-consuming process.

Our Tool: Seamless Renaming

After some time, we managed to develop a tool capable of scanning all project files, updating references containing the original name, and replacing them with the new one - preserving the integrity of all links.

With this tool, we were able to create a new project with all the original resources intact, without extensive manual effort or rebuilding.

All that remained was restoring the engine version and recompiling the code - essentially the same process as pulling a project from a Git repository. And just like that, the old project was transformed into a new one with a different name.

A Tool for the Community

We decided to release this tool publicly so that other developers facing this challenge can resolve it quickly and efficiently.