Epic Games Aims to Transform Fortnite into a Multifaceted Entertainment Platform

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has outlined ambitious plans to evolve Fortnite from its battle royale roots into a versatile platform offering a wide array of gaming experiences across multiple genres.

Years after the high-profile Big Bang event that introduced Lego Fortnite, Harmonix’s Festival, and Psyonix’s Rocket Racing, Sweeney shared at Unreal Fest 2025 with IGN that the biggest hurdle remains Fortnite’s strong association with its battle royale mode.

"Our main goal is to ensure everyone sees Fortnite as a platform for all kinds of experiences," Sweeney explained. "Achieving that will take time, and we’ll need to deliver compelling content across diverse genres."

Progress toward this vision has been consistent. Fortnite Festival continues to draw major music artists, offering new skins and music content each season. Lego Fortnite Odyssey has built a dedicated following with its survival crafting gameplay. However, Rocket Racing has been largely phased out, while newer shooter-focused modes like Reload have gained stronger traction.

During the recent State of Unreal presentation, Epic Games highlighted that a third-party experience in Fortnite briefly surpassed its core modes in popularity—a milestone previously unimaginable. Yet, Epic’s non-shooter modes, such as Festival and Lego Fortnite, still lag behind the flagship Battle Royale and Zero Build modes, as well as Reload and the nostalgic Fortnite OG.

When IGN asked whether engagement in modes like Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite met expectations, Epic Games executive vice president Sax Persson admitted, "We’re never fully satisfied."

"Shooter modes have performed strongly," Sweeney added. "But we haven’t yet cracked the code on music-based gameplay. We brought in Harmonix, the team behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and they’ve been experimenting with music in Fortnite, including Jam Tracks that let players engage with songs and their beats using instruments."

"Music has been a massive hit in Fortnite, but not so much in dedicated music games," Sweeney observed. "It’s thrived more in Battle Royale and other modes."

Despite Fortnite’s live music events drawing millions, Epic is still searching for a formula to sustain that level of engagement consistently.

"We see huge potential for a music game that attracts tens of millions of monthly players, offering epic concerts and competitive gameplay that people return to regularly," Sweeney said, referencing the success of Rock Band and Guitar Hero in their prime.

Turning to Lego Fortnite, which has become a cornerstone of Epic’s non-shooter offerings, Persson noted, "We’re thrilled with its dedicated community, but we want it to grow even larger and reach more Lego fans."

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Fortnite’s identity as a battle royale game remains its biggest challenge, despite its evolution into a broader platform.

"Fortnite is no longer just a shooter—it’s a platform for everything," Persson emphasized. "We need to communicate that story more effectively."

Sweeney revealed plans to enhance third-party development within Fortnite’s Unreal Engine-powered editor, UEFN. While Epic currently uses advanced tools like C++ and Unreal Engine, creators rely on Verse and limited APIs. Sweeney aims to unify these frameworks by 2026, enabling creators to build with the same capabilities as Epic’s internal teams.

"Our mission is to align our tools with those of creators, giving them unprecedented creative power," Sweeney said.

Why not stick to dominating the battle royale genre? For Epic, Fortnite’s future hinges on its ability to stay culturally relevant in a rapidly shifting gaming landscape.

"Fortnite’s success depends on being a thriving ecosystem," Sweeney concluded. "If another game outshines us with something bigger and better, that’s a real possibility. The shooter genre has evolved over time, and while Battle Royale is the pinnacle so far, new technologies will spark innovations we can’t yet imagine."

This week, Epic Games also discussed AI advancements in Unreal Engine and Fortnite, including the recent addition of an AI-powered Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Epic and CD Projekt Red addressed the stunning Witcher 4 demo, clarifying whether the final game will match its visual promise.