Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has outlined the company's vision to evolve Fortnite from its battle royale roots into a diverse platform offering a wide range of gaming experiences.

Years after the high-profile Big Bang event introduced Lego Fortnite, Harmonix's Fortnite Festival, and Psyonix's Rocket Racing, Sweeney shared at Unreal Fest 2025 with IGN that the main challenge remains shifting public perception of Fortnite as solely a battle royale game.

"Our core mission is to make everyone see Fortnite as a platform for all kinds of experiences," Sweeney explained, "and that transformation will take time. We need to deliver compelling content across various genres."

Progress has been consistent. Fortnite Festival continues to draw major music artists, offering new skins and music tracks. Lego Fortnite Odyssey, a survival crafting mode, maintains a loyal player base. However, Rocket Racing has been largely phased out, while newer shooter-focused modes like Reload have gained traction.

At the recent State of Unreal event, Epic Games highlighted that a third-party Fortnite experience briefly surpassed its core modes in popularity—a milestone unimaginable a few years ago. Yet, Epic’s non-shooter modes, like Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite, still lag behind the flagship Battle Royale and Zero Build modes, as well as Reload and Fortnite OG.

When IGN asked whether engagement in modes like Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite met Epic’s expectations, executive vice president Sax Persson responded, "We’re never fully satisfied."

"Shooter modes have performed strongly," Sweeney noted. "But we haven’t yet captured the full potential of music-based gameplay. We brought in Harmonix, the creators of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and they’ve been experimenting with music in Fortnite."

"They’ve introduced Jam Tracks, which include songs, beats, and the ability to play them on instruments," he continued. "Music has been a huge hit in Fortnite, but surprisingly, not as much in dedicated music games."

Despite Fortnite’s live music events drawing millions, Epic has yet to find a formula for consistent engagement in music-focused modes.

"Music thrives in Fortnite, particularly in Battle Royale and other areas, but less so in music games," Sweeney observed. "Our next goal is to scale music experiences, much like Rock Band and Guitar Hero did in their prime, creating a music game that attracts tens of millions of monthly players for concerts and competitive gameplay."

Lego Fortnite, one of Epic’s most established non-shooter modes, remains a key focus.

"Lego Fortnite has a dedicated community, and we’re proud of its progress," Persson said. "But we want it to reach even more players and attract a broader Lego fanbase."

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Epic continues to grapple with Fortnite’s strong association with battle royale gameplay.

"Our biggest hurdle is that Fortnite is still seen as a shooter," Persson explained. "It’s no longer just that—it’s a platform for everything, and we need to communicate that story more effectively."

Sweeney emphasized that upcoming enhancements to Fortnite’s Unreal Engine-powered editor, UEFN, will empower third-party creators. Currently, Epic uses advanced tools like C++ and Unreal Engine, while external creators rely on Verse and limited APIs.

"We’re working to align our development tools with those available to creators," Sweeney said. "By 2026, even our battle royale seasons will use the same tools accessible to everyone, giving creators unprecedented creative control."

"Fortnite’s success depends on being a thriving ecosystem," Sweeney concluded. "If another game surpasses our battle royale with something bigger and better, that’s likely to happen. The shooter genre has evolved over time, from Deathmatch to large-scale modes with vehicles. Battle Royale, inspired by Japanese films and PUBG’s Brendan Greene, is the best shooter genre to date—but it won’t be the last. New technologies will unlock possibilities we can’t yet imagine, driving innovation and creativity."

It’s been a dynamic week for Epic Games, with discussions on AI integration in Unreal Engine and Fortnite, including the recent debut of an AI-powered Darth Vader. Epic also collaborated with The Witcher 4 developer CD Projekt Red to discuss their striking Witcher 4 demo and its potential in the final game.