Earlier today at the State of Unreal 2023 event, it was announced that the Unreal Editor was launching in public beta for Fortnite, meaning people could finally get access to it and begin publishing their creations for use in the game.
You might be wondering why that's such a big deal, and it's because the potential of this feature is absolutely ridiculous. Basically, creators will get "many of Unreal Engine 5’s powerful tools and workflows" to benefit from when creating new experiences in Fortnite, with the potential of making revenue as well.
Here's a bit more about it:
"Unreal Editor for Fortnite is a new way to design, develop, and publish content into Fortnite that takes advantage of the Unreal Editor’s development workflows and proven PC-based toolset."
"UEFN is being launched alongside a new programming language, Verse, and Creator Economy 2.0—including a new way for Fortnite island creators and developers to earn a portion of Fortnite’s Item Shop purchases based on engagement with their published content."
Some of these experiences are already available to try across all platforms (including Xbox), from an adventure game called Forest Guardian to a PvP shooter called Deserted: Domination, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
If you want to check the feature out for yourself, you can look for the "Discover" section in Fortnite and start playing some of these games right away, while budding developers can learn how to make their own creations on the Unreal Engine website.
Here's a look at some screenshots from various different experiences made using the Unreal Editor: