Fortnite’s Identity Crisis: Can It Truly Become ‘The Everything Game’?
Tim Sweeney and the Epic Games team have a bold vision for Fortnite-transforming it from a top-tier battle royale into something far more ambitious: a living, breathing platform for every kind of gameplay experience imaginable. But several years after Fortnite’s “Big Bang” event and the launch of side projects like Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and the Fortnite Festival, the company still faces a nagging reality-most people still just think of it as that battle royale game.
“That’s our biggest challenge,” Sweeney admitted at Unreal Fest 2025. “People need to see Fortnite as ‘The Everything Game,’ and that takes time-and a lot of very good games.”
And yet, time might be running out. While Fortnite Festival has had some success bringing big-name music acts and custom tracks into the game, the musical gameplay experience still hasn’t recaptured the magic of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Players are more likely to attend live events in the Battle Royale mode than to jam in Festival.
“The irony is, music performs best inside the modes that aren’t even about music,” Sweeney said. “We need to rediscover that spark-something new, something sticky.”
The same goes for Lego Fortnite, which boasts a solid, dedicated fanbase but still hasn’t become the breakout cultural moment Epic wanted. Rocket Racing, meanwhile, started strong but has mostly faded from the spotlight.
The deeper issue might be structural. Fortnite has legendary characters like Aang, Iron Man, and Goku-but most of the time, they’re just blasting each other with guns. There’s no narrative mode that lets these characters shine in unique ways. “You have these amazing characters and all they do is shoot. That’s a missed opportunity,” one commenter pointed out, echoing a sentiment that many long-time players feel.
Epic’s push to open development tools to creators may help. Sweeney emphasized that soon, Fortnite creators will have the same tools as Epic’s own developers, potentially leveling the playing field. It’s a bold move-and necessary if Fortnite truly wants to become a robust platform rather than a publisher’s playground.
Still, some gamers are skeptical. “It stopped being fun for me when it moved away from tight co-op to a corporate circus of memes and licensed fluff,” one fan lamented. Others worry Epic is chasing too many trends at once-trying to be Roblox, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, and Battlefield, all under one roof.
And while Fortnite remains dominant in the battle royale space, that genre is no longer the untouchable juggernaut it once was. Player interest ebbs and flows, and for many, Fortnite is already showing signs of wear. “Nobody on my console friend list touches it anymore,” one player commented. “It gets old.”
To its credit, Epic isn’t giving up. “We’re only successful if Fortnite evolves into a thriving ecosystem,” Sweeney concluded. But if it wants to be more than a brilliant battle royale, it needs to listen-not just to investors, but to the players who are still waiting for the game to give its many modes the same care and depth it gave to the genre that made it famous.
1 comment
It stopped being fun when it became this corporate mashup of memes and licenses. Where’s the soul?