Do you like Fortnite? Do you like money? What silly questions – of course you do. Well, guess what? Epic Games is giving players access to Unreal Engine 5’s editor and letting them sell whatever they make. The editor will be “open to everybody” and is set to be launched later this year. At least, that is according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.
The news came via Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney while speaking with Fast Company. Sweeney says that around half of all player time spent on Fortnite is playing other people’s creations, using the already built-in creator. Sweeney wants to streamline this process by offering players a deeper set of tools, and the chance to sell their creations for a profit.
“We’re going to release the Unreal Editor for Fortnite, the full capabilities that you’ve seen [in Unreal Engine] opened up so that anybody can build very high-quality game content and code,” Sweeney said, “and deploy it into Fortnite without having to do a deal with us. It’s open to everybody.”
The update comes soon after the release of Unreal Engine 5, which Epic games launched only last month. If you’re wondering why gamers and developers are hyped for Unreal Engine 5, take a look here.
Roblox and the Metaverse
The idea seems ‘borrowed’ from Roblox – an online MMO containing player-built game modes and maps. Roblox has already proven that the idea works. Epic Games will be trying to replicate its success, on a much larger scale.
Even though Epic Games won’t make much money from these player creations, it won’t care. In the mind of Tim Sweeney, this update will incentivize more players to get on the game and try it out. That means a larger fan base, probably willing to buy skins in-game.
And it won’t just be fans’ own creations on offer. Big-name developers will start making content, and draw their fans to their Fortnite creations (for a cost, obviously). Essentially, Fortnite could become an even larger platform for businesses to promote themselves. In a way, Fortnite will be a ‘metaverse’. That’ll impress Zuckerberg. Fortnite already lets players become whoever they want as they duel to the death (sometimes). Next, it will let players customise the environment to within an inch of its life. It might even actually be fun.
Long, dark, Fortnite of the soul
Before this addition, Fortnite was already its own metaverse — though on a smaller scale. Live events are held, promoting real-life artists and movies, through the use of exclusive trailers and shows in-game. The addition of free custom editing will only increase the popularity of these events. It’ll also probably spawn even more.
“Now people are also looking at Fortnite, and at Roblox, as ways of reaching users. Along with that, we’re building an economy, and it will support creators actually building businesses around their work and making increasing amounts of profit from the commerce that arises from people playing their content.”
For the time being, Sweeney hasn’t given an exact release date, besides ‘later this year’. Plenty of time to brush up on your metaverse moneymaking concepts, yes?
Source: Fast Company