Fortnite creators are gearing up to dive into “Star Wars.”
Today, March 19, Epic Games released a range of creator tools and assets licensed from Disney’s “Star Wars” universe, including new characters, force powers, sound effects and vehicles like droid battle tanks. Fortnite creators can build and test experiences using “Star Wars” assets starting today, but will not be able to publish their “Star Wars” islands until May 1, with the goal of allowing all creators to make all necessary final tweaks before Star Wars Day on May 4.
“We do this publishing hold for a couple of different reasons. One is relieving the pressure for creators to feel like they need to be the first on Discover, and put more time and quality into the experiences themselves,” said Epic Games senior director of game development for Fortnite Andre Balta in an interview with GamesBeat. “Second, we’re putting the tools out but having this publishing hold, and they might identify things we broke, or things to fix in the tools, before we go live.”
Fortnite’s “Star Wars” creator integration launch is not the first time intellectual properties from the “Star Wars” universe have shown up inside the popular game. Over the years — and downstream of Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games in 2024 — Fortnite has released a range of “Star Wars” character skins, in-game items and annual Star Wars Day limited-time events inside its Battle Royale mode that included an AI-powered Darth Vader non-player character last year. Many of these assets are included as creator tools in today’s launch, making it Fortnite’s most in-depth creator IP integration yet, per Balta.
“Every cosmetic that’s ever been built in BR [Battle Royale] is available as an NPC now. Four huge biomes, all the weapons we’ve built, and then there’s some really fundamental gameplay systems,” Balta said.
Like past Fortnite creator IP integrations such as Lego and “KPop Demon Hunters,” the upcoming “Star Wars” launch includes a revenue share with the IP holder for all engagement and transactions inside creator experiences that use the licensed assets. In this case, Disney will receive a 20 percent cut of all revenue from the integration — a higher figure than the 12 percent revenue share for Fortnite’s “Walking Dead” integration and the 15 percent revenue share for the game’s Paramount and Netflix IP integrations.
“It’s really a decision on the IP holder on where they want to fit,” Balta said. “There’s the value of the IP, but there’s also how much is being built for creators, and this is just so much.”
Fortnite creators are welcoming the platform’s “Star Wars” creator tool launch with open arms, anticipating relatively high engagement and interest from the platform’s player base due to the widespread popularity of the IP.
“The ‘Star Wars’ IP is one our team grew up watching and playing, so being able to build games for the next generation is an honor,” said Zack Billingham, the partnerships lead at the prominent Fortnite creator studio Good Gamers, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Chad Mustard, the co-founder and chief operating officer of the prominent Fortnite creator studio JOGO Studios, praised the “Star Wars” integration for its range of available assets and high level of detail, including a diverse variety of in-game environments in which creators can build.
“You have Tauntauns — there’s TIE Fighters, X-Wings, the droid tanks from Episode One. I’m really excited for the community to play with it all,” Mustard said. “‘Star Wars’ is my favorite IP ever, and to now be able to make a ‘Star Wars’ game is amazing.”