UEFN & Verse: Epic Games Vision of the Metaverse

The world of Fortnite Creative and Unreal Engine has recently evolved in a big way. A platform that has always allowed players to build and share unique gaming experiences, while sometimes being limited by the tools available to creators, has received a game changing update in the form of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). Alongside this well-equipped game editor, Epic has given developers access to their internal language, Verse, and its associated API. This blog post will explore both UEFN and Verse, explaining their functionalities and highlighting the compelling benefits they offer to indie game developers, studios, and content creators alike.

UEFN and Verse

UEFN bridges the gap between the familiar interface of Unreal Engine and the world of Fortnite Creative. With many of Unreal Engine 5's powerful tools and workflows at your fingertips, including custom asset import, modeling, materials and VFX, Sequencer and Control Rig, you'll have a whole new world of options for producing and publishing games and experiences for Fortnite that can be enjoyed by millions of players. This expanded toolkit empowers creators to craft highly immersive and visually stunning experiences that push the boundaries of what's possible in Fortnite.

The integration of UEFN and Verse unlocks a variety of benefits for game developers, studios, and content creators. Firstly, it fosters a more streamlined creative process. Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) leverages the power of Unreal Engine and combines it with Fortnite Creative and all its assets to give you vastly expanded functionality that you can use with the Creative toolset. This eliminates the need to switch between different programs (Blender, Substance Painter, etc.), and allows users to design games much quicker than previously possible in Fortnite Creative, saving valuable time and streamlining the development workflow.

Second, UEFN and Verse empower creators to bring their wildest ideas to life. The ability to create custom assets, animations, and complex gameplay mechanics allows creators to push the boundaries of Fortnite Creative. Imagine a parkour course with dynamic obstacles, a logic puzzle with intricate solutions, a cooperative battle royale experience with unique power-ups., or an ultra-realistic simulation game - all within Fortnite. With UEFN and Verse, these concepts and countless others become much more achievable.

Finally, this new development ecosystem creates a more diverse and engaged Fortnite community. The ease of use of Verse, the variety of tutorials and documentation, allows aspiring creators to enter the game development scene, while the expanded creative potential encourages experienced creators to push the boundaries. This has led to a surge of innovative, new, engaging content within Fortnite, enriching the overall player experience, and turning what was once known as only a Battle Royale into a legitimate "metaverse" game publishing platform. The arrival of UEFN and Verse marks a new era for Fortnite content creators. By offering a seamless integration between the power of Unreal Engine and the user-friendly environment of Fortnite Creative, these tools empower creators to unlock their full potential. From streamlined workflows to the ability to craft truly unique experiences, UEFN and Verse promise to enrich the Fortnite community with a wave of innovative and engaging content. As Fortnite Creative continues to evolve, it will be exciting to see the incredible experiences that creators bring to life with these powerful new tools. Even more so, will be watching the Verse language be implemented to Unreal Engine standalone - as outlined by Conan Reis, who will end this with a quote -

"Verse continues to be evolved and optimized with a new custom virtual machine. Its API will be growing tremendously to specifically take advantage of Fortnite and metaverse implications. The Verse tooling is only in its first phases. Verse will eventually be made available for the Unreal Engine and even farther still is planned to be made open source."