Fortnite expected to be available on next-gen consoles at launch

Epic Games’ immensely popular Fortnite will reportedly be available at launch for both Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X. According to a report from Eurogamer, the next-gen version of Fortnite will initially run on Unreal Engine 4.25. After the console release, Epic plans to move Fortnite to Unreal Engine 5 in mid-2021.

Tim Sweeny, CEO of Epic Games, told Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter that they aren’t the only studio working with the Unreal Engine. “We’re gonna be launching Fortnite on next-generation consoles using Unreal Engine 4.25, which is going to be updated,” said Sweeny. “Lots of partners are launching next-generation games on [it], and we’ll transition Fortnite to Unreal Engine 5 next year and start to incorporate cool new features based on it.”

Sweeny did not detail what new features will be available once Fortnite moves to Unreal Engine 5. Unreal Engine 5 will work on all platforms Unreal Engine 4 currently supports, from consoles to mobile devices. “When Fortnite switches to Unreal Engine 5 late next year, we’ll continue supporting all nine platforms – well, nine, when you add the two new ones,” Sweeney stated.

The next generation

Unreal Engine 4.25 released on May 5. Its new improvements included audio advancements, support for online subsystems, and initial support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The latest season of Fortnite already uses some of these features, including the latest visual effects and physics engines.

“The Fortnite team has been battle-testing Niagara VFX and Chaos physics, and these feature sets are now in use in currently shipping seasons of the game,” Sweeney continued. “There are also a host of new features, including the ability to create complex, large-scale particle effects such as flocking and chains, and to have particles react to music or other audio sources – all in real-time.”

Currently, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X do not have a confirmed release date. However, they are expected to launch later this year. Make sure to follow Daily Esports for more Fortnite news.