Metaverse Creators Unite: Unreal Engine 6 Unveils Grand Plans

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney envisions a massive, interconnected metaverse powered by Unreal Engine 6. This ambitious project aims to unify various gaming platforms, including Fortnite and potentially Roblox and Minecraft, creating a shared marketplace and economy for digital assets. Sweeney, in an interview with The Verge, highlighted Epic's substantial financial backing, enabling them to pursue this long-term vision throughout the decade.

This metaverse will leverage the power of Unreal Engine 6, a planned evolution incorporating features from the Unreal Editor for Fortnite. The goal is to seamlessly integrate the advanced capabilities of a high-end game engine with the user-friendly design of the Fortnite editor, creating a powerful yet accessible development platform. This will take several years to fully realize.

The resulting engine will allow developers, from AAA studios to indie creators, to build applications once and deploy them across multiple platforms, fostering interoperability. Sweeney cited a partnership with Disney as an example of this interconnectivity, where a Disney ecosystem would seamlessly integrate with Fortnite's. While discussions with Microsoft (regarding Minecraft) and Roblox haven't started, Sweeney anticipates future collaborations.

The core philosophy centers on enhancing player engagement and trust. An interoperable economy ensures that in-game purchases retain value across different platforms, encouraging greater investment in digital goods. Epic's EVP Saxs Persson echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the benefits of a federated system allowing players to easily transition between games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, ultimately increasing playtime and enjoyment. The overarching strategy, as Sweeney explains, is to leverage existing successful elements within Fortnite to build a broader, more inclusive metaverse, acknowledging the diverse landscape of gaming ecosystems and preventing any single entity from dominating the market.