The video game industry is always evolving: new technologies, better gaming experiences, and now an innovative new way to help gamers make money. Today, Epic Games, the creators of the popular game Fortnite, announced the launch of their new Unreal Editor for Fortnite, which will give players the opportunity to create games within the Fortnite universe and share in the profits generated by their creations.
Under the Unreal Editor for Fortnite, creators can use a suite of tools and resources from the Unreal Engine to create user-generated content inside of the game. This UGC (user-generated content) can range from weapons, characters, and even entire games within the Fortnite world. All of these creations can then be sold via the Epic Games Store, of which Epic Games will take a standard 12% cut, with the remaining 88% going directly to the creators.
In addition to this, Epic Games also announced that it will take an additional 40% of all revenue generated by the Epic Games Store and reinvest it into its creators. This marks a significant shift in Epic Games’ strategy, as it is a: “commitment to supporting developers and creators who build amazing experiences within Unreal Engine 4,” according to Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, in the press release.
This move to invest directly in the creators of games is a major step forward for the gaming industry at large. It gives game makers a new way to make a living that is outside of the traditional model of selling their games to major publishers, which can often be a long and difficult process. The new system from Epic Games will not only help game makers make some money, but it could also encourage more innovation in the industry, as new projects may arise from developers who no longer feel limited by traditional funding models.
With the launch of Unreal Editor for Fortnite, Epic Games is hoping to not only make money for its creators, but also allow them to make a name for themselves with the games that they create. With the resources that Epic Games is offering and the new model of monetization, the possibilities for game developers and independent game makers are endless. It may be too late for some to get in on the ground floor of the industry’s shift to creator-oriented games, but it’s never too late to explore the opportunities that Epic Games is providing the gaming community.
