Fortnite fans are in disarray processing the news dropped on us by Epic Games yesterday, confirming that by the end of 2025, we'll see our first season of Fortnite Battle Royale created using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). While many are outright rejecting the decision as a "terrible idea," Epic insists that it's a positive thing going forward.
So, what does this actually mean? UEFN is a free tool available to PC players since last March, allowing them to create their own fan-made experiences to release via Fortnite's Creative Mode. To be fair, people can make some really impressive things using it, including MMO-style raids reminiscent of Final Fantasy 14. Even so, these experiences don't generally look or feel as polished as Fortnite's Battle Royale maps, especially the ones released since the game was moved over to Unreal Engine 5.1 in late 2022.
The concern then is how this 2025 UEFN Battle Royale season is going to look as a result of being made using tools currently used for Creative experiences. Responding to the news, fans over social media have described UEFN as a "limited" and "nerfed version of Unreal Engine," and have been left confused over the decision to adopt it outside of Creative Mode.
"I don't understand. You're going from using full-fledged Unreal Engine, to a Fortnitified, nerfed version of Unreal Engine… why?" one Twitter user asks.
"They had to balance the past constant stream of W's with the biggest L ever," writes another.
Attempting to quell these fears, Epic has reiterated that UEFN is still improving, and by the time we get to the point where Battle Royale seasons are being made using it, they'll be "as exciting" as they are already. Responding to a concerned fan on Twitter, the official Fortnite Creators account explains: "The goal for UEFN is to reach the point where it can create entire Battle Royale seasons that are as exciting as the current Chapter 5 Season 2 but use the amazing tools UEFN will offer."
Elaborating on this, it said that using UEFN itself will allow Epic to "supercharge the features we need for a Battle Royale season and create a powerful tool for us and creators to use these developments to push the limits of their experiences." Basically, it aims to ensure that creators using UEFN for Creative Mode will have parity with Epic when it comes to the tools they're using, with an aim to improve on what they can make. Assuming all goes well, it sounds like a positive move for creators.
Frankly, it's far too early at this point to see how this decision will end up going on the whole, especially as UEFN will undoubtedly be refined further before it's actually able to touch the beloved Battle Royale mode. For now, there's still a lot of uncertainty across the fanbase, although Epic's reassurances seem to be helping ease the tension somewhat.
