14 DAY TRIAL // Epic Games has confirmed that the storytelling mechanics in Fortnite won’t explain everything about the game’s world and its inhabitants, as the studio wants to let players fill in the blanks and work together to uncover new things.
Fortnite is the next big game from Epic, largely because it’s the first title that’s going to be powered by the Unreal Engine 4, the next-generation technology from the independent studio.
We have already heard quite a few things about the title, which boasts complex gameplay centered on cooperative action as well as combat or crafting.
The premise, of players building their forts and arsenal during the day in order to fend off monsters during the night, is certainly an interesting one, but fans shouldn’t expect any new details, as Epic is still figuring a lot of stuff out.
"There may or may not be [player classes]," Epic’s Creative Director, Cliff Bleszinski, told Polygon. "We just haven't confirmed anything like that. We're still figuring all that out."
In regard to the monsters, the Epic executive has also mentioned that the studio is intentionally trying to stay away from the “zombie” genre, as the enemies are “zombie-like, but they're not actually zombies.”
Currently, three different creatures have been revealed, in the form of the hulking Smasher, the human skin-wearing Husk, and the small Troll.
In terms of story, plenty of things will be left to the imagination of the players.
"We're intentionally keeping a lot of it vague on purpose," Bleszinski added. "What we're hoping is that we have a lot of in-world storytelling that people can piece together and solve these mysteries. Now we're in a world of wikis, YouTube and forums where, if we leave the pieces of the puzzle out there, the collective hivemind of the Internet will put it together."
Fortnite will certainly be one of the most interesting games of 2013 but, until then, you can expect to hear more about it in the near future, once Epic actually decides on its various features.