The announcement from Epic Games must have sent shivers down the backs of every Fortnite player. Custom weapons are planned to be brought into UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite) later this year. But there is a catch. The feature is expected in some time between October and December, yet the publishing of custom maps with them is going to be held back.
That was quite a stir in the community generated by the announcement from the well-known Fortnite insider ShiinaBR. Players have been wanting more creative rights in UEFN for quite some time, among which had been working with custom content being top of the list. However, Epic’s decision to place a hold on publishing left many confused. Why bother teasing the feature if you’re going to hold us back from having tons of fun with it anyways? Classic Epic.
An adjacent matter now- the whale, literally so. The picture that came along with the tweet unleashed an ocean of debate down beneath. Some in the replies saw it as an Arcane reference (pun intended-Jinx), with lore buffs quickly putting that theory to rest. It turns out, the thing is actually a Save the World weapon named “Tralalero Tralalá Launcher.” Try saying that five times really fast.
That should mean that Epic will actually start treating Save the World well, STW fans were quick to point out. One reply even went ahead to propose that STW weapons should be considered a priority for porting into UEFN. Hmmm, could this be the beginning of a new Save the World? Yes, maybe. Or perhaps Epic is just having a ball with us.
And for some, panic attacks set in. For a few: “standin’in’for Street Fighter skins.” And for others: holding out for the T-800 and Ash Williams. There’s one guy in there who just wants his lightsaber pickaxe. Me too, bro.
What should be newsworthy, actually, is that Epic went with locking down custom weapon publishing at launch. Some creators called this “creating the drama,” while others went so far as to say it was going to keep broken or blatantly overpowered weapons from hitting Creative mode any time soon. In either case, it’s going to be a long wait for full explicit loadouts to hit the stage.
So what exactly does this all mean? For one, things could get bloody crazy for the creative realm in Fortnite. Custom weapons are an avenue for unlimited possibilities; one that comes to mind is wielding a high-frequency blade from Metal Gear or a spitter gun that actually spits. The potential is crazy. But before any of those go to production, we wait for a rollout from Epic.
One thing is for certain: when October hits, UEFN creators will be changing the landscape forever. Once the publishing open? Unadulterated, glorious chaos.
And now, keep your eyes peeled on every single bite-sized morsel. You know Epic well enough to expect another bombshell just around the corner when you least expect it. Until then, stay creative, be patient, and put some practice into saying “Tralalero Tralalá Launcher” without faltering. You’ll thank me later.
