Tim Sweeney Aims Beyond Battle Royale With Fortnite

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has shared his vision for Fortnite's evolution, expressing ambitions to transform the game from its battle royale roots into a versatile platform hosting diverse gaming experiences.

Years after Fortnite's landmark Big Bang event introduced Lego Fortnite, Harmonix's Festival mode, and Psyonix's Rocket Racing, Sweeney revealed at Unreal Fest 2025 that Epic still faces the challenge of shifting public perception beyond Fortnite's signature battle royale mode.

"Our biggest hurdle is helping players recognize Fortnite as 'the everything game' - a space where any gaming experience is possible," Sweeney told IGN. "This transformation will require time and delivering outstanding content across multiple genres."

The platform's expansion shows mixed success so far. Festival continues drawing major music artists for seasonal events with exclusive skins and tracks, while Lego Fortnite Odyssey maintains a loyal survival crafting community. However, Rocket Racing has been sunsetted, and newer shooter-focused modes like Reload outperform other experimental offerings.

Epic recently acknowledged a watershed moment when third-party content briefly surpassed its native modes - an unthinkable scenario years ago. Yet none of Epic's non-shooter experiments approach the popularity of Battle Royale or Zero Build modes, let alone compete with Reload or nostalgic Fortnite OG events.

When questioned about engagement metrics for music and Lego experiences, Epic EVP Sax Persson admitted: "We're never fully satisfied."

"Shooter modes perform exceptionally well," Sweeney added. "But we're still searching for breakthrough mechanics in music gameplay. It's fascinating - we integrated the talented Harmonix team behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero, yet while music thrives in Fortnite generally, music gaming specifically hasn't found its footing."

The Harmonix team has innovated with Jam Tracks - complete songs with beat-mapped instrument support. But Sweeney observes: "Music excels everywhere in Fortnite except music games."

Despite massive attendance for live concerts attracting millions, Epic hasn't cracked recurring engagement for musical experiences.

"Music's Fortnite success ironically bypasses music games," Sweeney noted. "Our challenge now is scaling musical gameplay to potentially rival Rock Band's golden era - creating nightly destinations for millions craving interactive concerts and competitions."

Regarding Lego Fortnite - Epic's most successful non-shooter experiment - Persson commented: "We're proud of Lego's dedicated community, but see room for growth engaging more Lego enthusiasts with this digital experience."

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Persson emphasized Fortnite's identity challenge: "Our core issue? Fortnite revolutionized shooters, but now transcends genres. We must communicate this evolution more effectively."

Sweeney highlighted upcoming enhancements to Fortnite's UEFN editor as pivotal, noting Epic will eventually develop native modes using the same creator tools available publicly by 2026.

"Currently, our internal tools exceed creator capabilities," Sweeney explained. "Our mission is unifying these workflows - empowering creators with professional-grade development frameworks we've refined over two years."

"Fortnite thrives as an ecosystem, not just a game"“

With Fortnite generating massive revenue, why not remain battle royale focused? Sweeney argues continuous innovation ensures cultural relevance amid shifting gaming trends.

"Success means sustaining Fortnite as a vibrant ecosystem," Sweeney stated. "If competitors create superior experiences beyond battle royale - as likely happened historically across shooter evolution - we must lead that transformation."

He reflected on gaming's cyclical innovation: "Battle royale represents shooter evolution's current peak - credit to its pioneers - but technological advancements will enable new genres we can't yet imagine."

The announcements followed Epic's discussions about AI integration in Unreal Engine and Fortnite, including its experimental AI-powered Darth Vader, plus insights from CD Projekt Red about The Witcher 4's stunning demo visuals.