Fortnite Creators Can Now Make Star Wars Games
▼ Summary
– Epic Games and Disney are launching a feature allowing Fortnite creators to build and publish custom Star Wars-themed games and experiences starting May 1st.
– This integration is part of a deepening partnership, with Disney investing $1.5 billion in Epic to co-develop a persistent universe tied to Fortnite, which remains in development.
– Creators using Epic’s Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) can now access Star Wars assets like characters, vehicles, and weapons, but must give Disney 20% of their payout share.
– Epic’s history with Star Wars includes seven years of crossovers in Fortnite, and Disney has been supportive in providing extensive creative assets for UEFN.
– Alongside this launch, Epic is introducing a new Fortnite battle royale season, has raised V-Buck prices due to operating costs, and has globally relaunched the game on Android.
The partnership between Epic Games and Disney has reached a new milestone, empowering Fortnite creators to officially build and publish their own Star Wars games and experiences. This highly anticipated feature, first announced in June, is now live for development, with creators able to publish their Star Wars-themed islands for public play starting May 1st. This move leverages the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), the platform’s powerful creation toolset.
Since launching UEFN, Epic has gradually introduced major franchises like Lego and Squid Game. However, the demand for Star Wars was immediate and overwhelming. “Since day one, every creator was like, ‘When are we getting Star Wars?'” noted Andre Balta, Epic’s senior director of ecosystem growth. The collaboration builds on a seven-year history of Star Wars crossovers within Fortnite’s battle royale mode, including exclusive movie content and themed seasons.
Disney has proven to be a highly supportive partner in providing a vast library of Star Wars assets. Balta praised their approach, stating the company had a “deep ethos of just trying to give creators as much as possible.” This access comes with specific brand guidelines and a notable financial arrangement: creators who publish a Star Wars island must agree to give Disney 20 percent of their payout share.
The creative possibilities are extensive. Builders can now incorporate iconic characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, pilotable vehicles such as X-wings and TIE fighters, classic weapons including lightsabers, and even rideable creatures like Tauntauns. This significantly expands the scope of user-generated content within the Fortnite ecosystem.
This initiative is a tangible step following Disney’s 2024 announcement of a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games to co-create a persistent universe connected to Fortnite. That ambitious project remains “deep in development,” according to Balta. Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, recently reaffirmed the company’s commitment to this metaverse-like space during a shareholder meeting. While details are scarce, Balta confirmed that Star Wars is just the beginning, with more Disney franchises slated to be placed “in the hands of creators.”
The Star Wars creator launch coincides with a bustling period for Fortnite. Epic is rolling out the game’s latest battle royale season, “Showdown,” featuring Looney Tunes’ Bugs Bunny and the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s in-game character. Furthermore, Fortnite is once again available globally on Android devices. Ahead of these updates, Epic increased the price of its V-Bucks in-game currency, citing a “direct correlation to operating costs.”
(Source: The Verge)
