‘Fortnite’ developer Epic Games wants to take on ‘Roblox,’ and brands should pay attention

Fortnite fans will soon be able to build their own games-within-the-game. The developer of the battle royale title, Epic Games, has announced that Fortnite will soon function as a creation tool thanks to the launch of a product called Unreal Editor.

As its name implies, the Unreal Editor is built on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, which has been the company’s signature physics platform for the past 25 years. Players who download the Editor will be able to design, develop, and publish games within Fortnite. “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,” reads a description on the Epic Games website, “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.”

The new product is significant because it gives Fornite — and, by extension, Epic Games — the ability to compete with Roblox 

and its own set of creation tools. The rise of derivative worlds within video game platforms has introduced many players to the metaverse while also transforming Roblox from a little-known sandbox title to one of the most impactful technologies in the world.

Roblox has been able to link up with companies like Spotify and Chipotle by helping them design their own spaces and games within its platform. Through Fortnite‘s Unreal Editor, Epic Games will be able to engineer similar partnerships. When you consider Fortnite‘s massive user base, which includes millions of players at any given time, the new world creator looks like a sweet deal for both consumers and brands.

The Fortnite team has been preparing to take on Roblox for some time. Last year, the game got a graphical update. Thanks to that makeover, the new games developed in the Unreal Editor will come out looking good.