As part of the ongoing Summer Game Fest events, Epic Games pulled the curtain back on Unreal Engine 5, which will be powering many next-generation experiences. Unreal Engine 5 is expected to launch in 2021, and when it does, fans can expect Epic's Fortnite battle royale to migrate to the new technology.
Following its Unreal Engine 5 tech demo showcase, Epic Games confirmed that Fortnite will be transitioning to to the new technology mid-2021. Unreal Engine 5 will allow Fortnite to host "industry-leading features," though specific details are unclear at the time of this writing. The jump from Fortnite to Fortnite Chapter 2 came with a graphical upgrade, and one has to imagine that a similar upgrade will come with the jump to Unreal Engine 5.
When Fortnite transitions to Unreal Engine 5, it will be interesting to see if support for the game is phased out on older generation consoles. After all, Unreal Engine 5 is mainly focused on next-generation platforms, and eventually, the older versions of Fortnite will be holding it back. While this does seem like a possibility down the line, it's unlikely that Fortnite will simply drop support for older platforms right away. It will likely take years before Fortnite becomes unplayable on PS4 and Xbox One, so fans shouldn't have to worry too much. It's also possible that next-generation Fortnite will be kept separate from the older versions of the game, though that's just speculation at this time.
Meanwhile, Epic Games confirmed another interesting tidbit about the future of Fortnite shortly after its Unreal Engine 5 demo showcase. It was confirmed that Fortnite will be a launch title for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, running on Unreal Engine 4 as it is on current-generation consoles. While Fortnite on PS5 and Xbox Series X should provide a virtually identical experience to what fans are experiencing now, it should theoretically run and look a bit better than it does on current hardware.
Fortnite's ridiculous popularity ensures that the game will remain the centerpiece of Epic Games' products moving forward. Fortnite has become such a huge cultural phenomenon that it's even been suggested that political candidates like Joe Biden utilize the game to push their campaigns. Fortnite has featured plenty of celebrities and crossovers with other IPs, but it remains to be seen if the game will ever dip its toes into political advertisements.
Fortnite is out now for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
