If you're a fan of Fortnite, you'll be excited to know that Epic Games has released a new tool for designing, developing, and publishing games and experiences directly into the popular game. This new tool is called Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), and it's available now as a PC application.
With UEFN, you'll have access to many of the powerful tools and workflows found in Unreal Engine 5, including custom asset import, modeling, materials, and VFX, Sequencer and Control Rig. Plus, UEFN includes a new programming language called Verse, which offers powerful customization capabilities.
One of the most exciting things about UEFN is that it works side-by-side with Fortnite's existing Creative toolset. This means that teams of creators can work together across PC and console to develop and test islands in real-time. With UEFN, you'll be able to create custom content with modeling and material tools, import meshes, textures, animations, and audio, and use Niagara to create VFX effects.
UEFN also offers some key differences from Fortnite Creative. It's a PC-only editor that enables 3D viewport workstyles with the creation tools ("devices") found in Fortnite Creative. Unlike in Fortnite Creative, where you build and edit your islands inside Fortnite, developers have access to a range of tools and workflows from the PC-based Unreal Editor, with many similarities to those used by Epic Games to develop Fortnite Battle Royale.
Of course, UEFN is also different from Unreal Engine 5. It's designed to create experiences specifically for Fortnite, which means that every experience you create can be published to the Fortnite ecosystem, reaching a built-in audience of millions.
The UEFN Beta provides creators with an early version of UEFN that will evolve in line with their feedback. As the Beta continues to evolve, it's likely that creators will have even more control over their Fortnite experiences, and the capabilities of the Verse API and framework will expand.
Overall, UEFN is an exciting new tool that offers a whole new world of options for producing and publishing games and experiences for Fortnite. Whether you're an experienced game developer or just starting out, UEFN is definitely worth checking out.
