Epic Games has announced a collaboration with Unity to integrate games developed using Unity’s engine into Fortnite. This partnership will allow Unity games to be featured alongside experiences created by Epic and other developers using the Unreal Editor, significantly increasing the variety of games available in the Fortnite ecosystem.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, emphasized the importance of cooperation among companies to create an interoperable and open metaverse, stating that this collaboration aims to assist developers in reaching wider audiences and achieving success. The integration aligns with Epic’s vision of evolving Fortnite into an expansive 3D social platform that offers numerous interactive experiences.
Currently, Fortnite operates as a closed environment, restricting creators to Epic’s tools for game development. The ability to develop games on Unity for Fortnite could broaden the range of available content. As of the end of last year, Epic’s platform hosted about 70,000 creators and nearly 200,000 unique experiences, but Unity has about 1.2 million monthly active users. Even a small fraction of Unity’s developers bringing their games to Fortnite could enhance the platform substantially.
The integration is expected to take place next year, as Matt Bromberg, Unity’s President and CEO, confirmed. This move could provide developers with new opportunities to reach audiences and monetize their creations, particularly important for smaller studios facing industry challenges.
Moreover, Unity will extend support for Unreal Engine on its commerce management platform, which is designed to help developers manage their digital storefronts across various platforms. This initiative aims to simplify the complexities that developers face when dealing with diverse storefronts and payment systems.
As these developments unfold, they raise questions about the future of cross-platform game integration and how it might reshape the gaming landscape.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/report/823233/fortnite-epic-games-unity-creators-developers-tim-sweeney-matt-bromberg