Will Disney lose control of Star Wars with new Fortnite islands?

Star Wars is coming to Fortnite, no longer as a limited-time crossover but a permanent force. As of today, Fortnite developers can create Star Wars-inspired islands using Epic Games' Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and Fortnite Creative.

Unlike past Star Wars events, the update introduces official templates and assets in UEFN in what is Epic's largest IP toolset to date. There are characters, weapons, tools and gameplay features, allowing developers to mix and match and build their own Star Wars islands, mini games and modes for players. Developers can also convert an existing island into a Star Wars island.

There are four Star Wars UEFN starter islands available and two new Star Wars flat grid islands are also available for Fortnite Creative. Epic suggests developers use Niagara-powered visual effects to create large-scale moments, from dogfights in asteroid fields to dramatic hyperspace entrance and exit sequences.

There are Star Wars-themed Galleries inspired by iconic locations from the films, including the Death Star, Tatooine Cantina and Resistance Base, plus background assets like the Star Destroyer and props such as the Holochess Table, Sabacc Table, and Sandcrawlers to complete scenes.

Three templates are available to help developers get started quickly. The Lightsabers and Force Powers Template can help users learn how to customise Lightsabers with Scene Graph and use Force powers – special gameplay abilities like Push, Heal, and Mind Trick. It also features a crafting workbench where players can modify their characters’ Force powers, as well as the appearance of their Lightsabers.

The Team Conquest Template is set during a battle on the planet Tatooine and has new features like the Hero device and spawning systems to support large-scale battles. Finally, the Narrative and Roleplaying Template, set in a Tatooine cantina, uses NPC characters and new Conversation device functionality.

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Characters available include Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, The Mandalorian, Princess Leia, plus civilians, Stormtroopers, Jawas and rideable Tauntauns. Players can fly N-1 Starfighters, while X-wings and TIE Fighters are updated from Fortnite Battle Royale and now feature secondary fire options while Armored Assault Tanks let players take the fight to the ground.

Vehicles can be tuned through their respective Spawner devices. Players can also be equipped with over 25 Star Wars weapons, including character-specific Lightsabers, Blasters and the Wookiee Bowcaster, Turbolasers and DF.9 Turrets

A selection of licensed Star Wars music is available too, including the Star Wars Main Theme, The Imperial March and The Cantina Theme.

Disney is moving towards tapping into user-generated content more broadly, recently signing a deal with OpenAI to hand over its IPs to Sora. Today's Fortnite update empowers the platform's creator community to produce endless Star Wars content, ensuring that the franchise remains active in Fortnite beyond official events and expanding its presence in gaming beyond traditional Star Wars games.

However, it's also a risk. Developers will have to follow Fortnite's Star Wars brand rules. But with open creation, some Star Wars islands may feel unpolished, and there could be direct parodies and non-canon experiences that clash with the franchise’s tone, potentially diluting the IP.

Fortnite developers will be able to publish Star Wars islands through the Creator Portal from 1 May. Publishing an island that includes Star Wars assets requires sharing 20% of the engagement payout with The Walt Disney Company.

A new Star Wars Game Collection page will launch in Discover, and Star Wars islands will also be eligible for additional Discover placement, including Epic’s Picks. Between now and 1 May, Epic will be adding first-person support for all weapons and custom Items and Inventories in beta.