LEGO Fortnite officially launched Thursday and is available on several platforms including Windows PCs, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and select cloud-based game streaming platforms. No word on when and if the game will be made available on mobile devices, as of this writing.
Created by Epic Games through its long-standing partnership LEGO Group, LEGO Fortnite is an open-world survival game that’s more Minecraft than Fortnite. The game lets players play as LEGO-stylized Fortnite characters (Brite Bomber, Cuddle Team Leader and Raven), as they collect food and other resources, craft items and structures, and fight against enemies on their own or with the aid of friends.
The game was built inside the Fortnite game ecosystem using Unreal Engine 5, Epic’s latest iteration of its game development platform. Epic has a long-stand relationship with LEGO; the company has been using the Unreal Engine to develop games within its vast universe for many years including LEGO DREAMZzz and LEGO NINJAGO.
The two companies are also using Unreal Engine to build virtual versions of “physical LEGO elements,” with plans to make these available to creators across UEFN and Fortnite Creative tools in 2024.
Epic also said in its announcement that it plans to unveil several other LEGO-themed games inside Fortnite starting early next year.
The launch of LEGO Fortnite serves as a precursor to the launch of Rocket Racing in the Fortnite ecosystem on Friday. Built by Epic-owned Rocket League developer Psyonix, the game is described as a “supersonic arcade racer where players drift, fly, and boost with friends through an ever-growing selection of tracks.”
Given the mass layoffs that occurred earlier this year across the global Epic workforce—which included many from Psyonix—there has been some concern among fans that the company may phase out Rocket League over time, with Rocket Racing serving as a replacement of sorts. Epic has not said one way or the other what its plans are for Rocket League—and by extension the RLCS—in the future. One thing that is certain: Psyonix, working with a smaller staff is now splitting its time between these two properties.