Epic Games plans to add the Fortnite Unreal Editor later this year, which should offer players the possibilities of Unreal Engine 5. At the same time, player content should be able to be monetized. This is a response to Roblox and the increasing popularity of Creative Mode in Fortnite and another source of income for Epic Games. Read more about this below.
Fortnite already offers its players a creative mode in which they can build their own Fortnite island or develop mini-games. Game design options and props designed by Epic can already be used for this purpose, but so far monetization and collaborations with partners have only been done by Epic. In the course of the year, a major innovation is to come, which can certainly be understood as an answer to Roblox. Fortnite should get the full Unreal Editor, which should offer players the same options as in the regular Unreal Engine and also bring monetization options for players.
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Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, said they’re taking full “opportunities that [man in der Unreal Engine] has seen opened [habe]allowing anyone to create very high quality game content and code […] and her in Fortnite without having to sign a contract with us – it’s open to anyone.” This can be interpreted not only as a response to the threat of successful competitor Roblox, but also to the needs of players.
Roughly half of Fortnite’s current gaming time is spent playing maps in Creative mode, rather than using traditional battle royale options. As a consequence, even the menus have been revised accordingly. Sweeney also emphasizes the monetization potential offered by the new Unreal Editor, which will largely benefit map makers.
Source: Eurogamer