Fortnite will eventually take advantage of all of the new features and technologies offered by Unreal Engine 5 but not anytime soon.
Taking to Twitter earlier today, well-known Fortnite leaker and data-miner HYPEX claimed that developer Epic Games has delayed its plans to switch to the new game engine. Fortnite was previously claimed by the same source to be running on Unreal Engine 5 somewhere during the upcoming eighth season. The switch has now apparently been pushed ahead to the ninth season for unknown reasons.
I don't know if modding releases with UE5 btw, it seems unlikely to me.. It would only make sense to release it in 20.00 (Chapter 3) to hype it up even more.
BUT if they want to release it before i think it would be a preview/alpha.. We'll have to wait and see!
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) August 17, 2021
The switch to Unreal Engine 5 has never been a secret. Epic Games already made it clear last year that it would be porting Fortnite to Unreal Engine 5 after releasing the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, which incidentally takes place in the coming months. Hence, by that schedule, Epic Games probably intends to switch to the new game engine somewhere in 2022.
Fortnite will conclude its ongoing seventh season on September 12, 2021. With each season lasting around three months, the player-base can expect the game to be running on Unreal Engine 5 within the first half of 2022 at the earliest.
Elsewhere, Fortnite Creative is said to opening up modding access to all players and not just battle pass owners. There have also been rumors of Epic Games trying to negotiate the use of Nintendo franchises such as Link and Samus in its thematic seasons. That and a new open-world mode dubbed Saturn which will be separate from battle royale.
