GamesBattle RoyaleFortniteAs Fortnite players fall into disarray over Epic’s decision to use a “nerfed version of Unreal Engine” for future Battle Royale seasons, the dev insists it’s a good ideaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesBattle RoyaleFortniteAs Fortnite players fall into disarray over Epic’s decision to use a “nerfed version of Unreal Engine” for future Battle Royale seasons, the dev insists it’s a good ideaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Epic Games)
So, what does this actually mean? UEFN is a free tool available to PC players since last March, allowing them to create their own fan-made experiences to release via Fortnite’s Creative Mode. To be fair, people can make some really impressive things using it, includingMMO-style raids reminiscent of Final Fantasy 14. Even so, these experiences don’t generally look or feel as polished as Fortnite’s Battle Royale maps, especially the ones released since the game was moved over to Unreal Engine 5.1 in late 2022.
The concern then is how this 2025 UEFN Battle Royale season is going to look as a result of being made using tools currently used for Creative experiences. Responding to the news, fans over social media have described UEFN as a"limited"and “nerfed version of Unreal Engine,” and have been left confused over the decision to adopt it outside of Creative Mode.
“I don’t understand. You’re going from using full-fledged Unreal Engine, to a Fortnitified, nerfed version of Unreal Engine… why?” one Twitter userasks.
“They had to balance the past constant stream of W’s with the biggest L ever,“writesanother.
Elaborating on this,it saidthat using UEFN itself will allow Epic to “supercharge the features we need for a Battle Royale season and create a powerful tool for us and creators to use these developments to push the limits of their experiences.” Basically, it aims to ensure that creators using UEFN for Creative Mode will have parity with Epic when it comes to the tools they’re using, with an aim to improve on what they can make. Assuming all goes well, it sounds like a positive move for creators.
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Frankly, it’s far too early at this point to see how this decision will end up going on the whole, especially as UEFN will undoubtedly be refined further before it’s actually able to touch the beloved Battle Royale mode. For now, there’s still a lot of uncertainty across the fanbase, although Epic’s reassurances seem to be helping ease the tension somewhat.
For more games like Fortnite, be sure to check out our roundup of thebest battle royale games.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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