Epic Games recently unveiled its Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview 1 at the annual State of Unreal event held at the Game Developers Conference. The event was a visual spectacle, showcasing the latest advancements in Unreal Engine technology and innovative collaborations within the gaming industry.
Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview 1 and Creator Economy 2.0
It’s been a year since Epic Games launched Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and Creator Economy 2.0 at GDC 2023. This platform enables both professional and user-generated content. Since its inception, creators have published over 80,000 UEFN islands, and Epic has paid more than $320 million to creators in the first year of engagement payouts. More than 130 million people have played on these islands.
“We expanded our functionality and simultaneously simplified the publishing process, fostering a professional community within an ecosystem,” said Sax Persson, executive vice president at Epic Games.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
Amy Hennig of Skydance revealed Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra at the Epic Games event. The game trailer showcased realistic imagery with impressive human face animations and cinematic scenes, providing a movie-like experience, according to Hennig.
User-Generated Battle Royale Games
One of the most exciting new features for creators is that Epic Games will enable UEFN (Fortnite Creative) users to generate their own battle royale games as user-generated content. By the end of 2025, Epic Games will ship the first season of Battle Royale developed entirely in UEFN. This means Fortnite creators will be able to ship battle royale modes in their games.
Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview 1 and Lego Partnership
Other highlights included the introduction of Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview 1, the integration of MetaHumans into the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), and an expanded partnership with Lego Group to bring Lego elements into Fortnite Creative.
FAQs
- What is Unreal Engine 5.4 Preview 1? It is the latest version of the Unreal Engine technology showcased by Epic Games at the annual State of Unreal event.
- What is UEFN? UEFN stands for Unreal Editor for Fortnite. It is a platform launched by Epic Games that allows for professional and user-generated content.
- What is the partnership between Epic Games and Lego Group? Epic Games has expanded its partnership with Lego Group to bring Lego elements into Fortnite Creative.