Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has hinted that potential 200-player Battle Royale lobbies could be coming to Fortnite, and that the company is developing its next version of Unreal Engine.
Fortnite’s popular Battle Royale mode was launched in 2017 with a free-to-play model where 100 players would go against each other in a single match. Ever since the game’s launch, the size of BR lobbies has remained the same.
However, Sweeney revealed in an interview with Matthew Ball, that the maximum lobby size in Fortnite’s BR mode might also change as the company was experimenting with server sizes while working on Unreal Engine 6.
200-player Fortnite lobbies are being worked on with Unreal Engine 6
Tim Sweeney on why Fortnite BR is 100 Players (w/ Matthew Ball) ‼️"Because at the time we launched it we couldn't make 200 players work on a server … So one of the big efforts for UE6 is improving the networking model, where we have servers supporting lots of players" pic.twitter.com/WST2ei0qTf
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) July 16, 2024
In the interview, the Epic CEO revealed that they wanted to make a 200-player lobby during the launch of Fortnite Battle Royale. However, due to the restrictions of the server sizes and the networking model, they had to narrow it down to 100.
When asked about the evolution of Fortnite, Sweeney said: “It’s going to evolve a lot. And when you look at what’s in Fortnite today, some of it you have to recognize as artifacts of the limitations of the current technology that we’re working within.”
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He continued: “Why is Fortnite: Battle Royale 100 players? Well, because at the time we launched it, we couldn’t make 200 players work on a server. Computers in the data center were just too slow.”
Sweeney also revealed that Unreal Engine 6 is improving the networking model, where they both have servers supporting lots of players, but also the ability to seamlessly move players between servers, making 200-player BR lobbies a reality pretty soon.
Throughout the interview, Sweeney talked about Fortnite’s ever-evolving metaverse, Creator Economy 3.0, and how Fortnite’s revenue is generated, all in conjunction with Ball’s newly-released book, called The Metaverse.
However, players and content creators like Nick Eh 30 were extremely excited believing that 200-player BR lobbies could soon be implemented in Fortnite. He said: “200 player customs would be CRAZY!” Fortnite pro FaZe Replays also wrote: “200 Players would be WAY better for Pubs. I hope it happens.”