Epic Games Unveils Ambitious Plans for Unreal Editor for Fortnite at GDC 2024

Epic Games has expressed satisfaction with the progress of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) since its launch nearly a year ago. In a briefing with GamesIndustry.biz, Fortnite ecosystem executive VP Saxs Persson shared key statistics, including 15,000 creators publishing 80,000 "islands" and 130 million players engaging with these islands, resulting in $320 million in payouts to creators. Persson noted that the company's initial thesis has been validated, as providing creators with robust tools and a straightforward economy has injected significant energy into the system. The number of new islands published daily has increased from 50 to 600, with Persson attributing this growth to the extension of functionality and the creation of deeper experiences. Epic has announced several new features, including the integration of MetaHuman Creator and Animator, support for cloth creation tools, and a roadmap for upcoming features. The company is particularly excited about the extension of UEFN to Lego Fortnite, allowing players to publish their own games within Lego Fortnite using the Lego brand under a one-click agreement. Persson emphasized the importance of pre-moderation, stating that all islands undergo a moderation step before publication, ensuring a higher standard and compliance with content guidelines. With an average approval time of two hours, Epic is committed to establishing UEFN as a capable game development tool, with plans to use it exclusively for creating new Fortnite Battle Royale content starting in late 2025. This move signifies the company's confidence in UEFN's potential to produce polished, AAA games, and its philosophy of pioneering new technologies through first-party experiences.