Why Epic Games’ UEFN and Fortnite Creative marketing push is sparking calls for more transparency from some creators

Since the summer, Epic Games has invested in a marketing campaign promoting specific creator-made experiences inside Fortnite. So far, the effort has resulted in a serious traffic boost for the chosen experiences — but it’s also raised questions among some creators regarding how and why Epic decides to elevate certain games on the platform over others.

From at least June 2024 onward, Epic Games has selected specific creator-made Fortnite experiences developed by third-party studios — including “Lumberjack Heroes,” “Havoc Hotel” and “Mercenaries” — for a marketing campaign that has included trailers on the official PlayStation YouTube channel and paid promotions by TikTok creators and Twitch streamers, in addition to posts across Fortnite’s official social accounts on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Following the campaign, the concurrent user counts of all three experiences ballooned by the thousands.

“Fortnite creators have the ability to submit their islands for consideration across a variety of promotional opportunities, including the Epic’s Picks Discover row and through our social media channels,” an Epic spokesperson said.

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