14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Epic Games is delivering a new video diary linked to its upcoming Fortnite, which is designed to give gamers more information about the Husk, one of the enemies that they will face, while also offering details about the way the core game themes and experience have evolved over time.
Pete Ellis, the art director working on the new title, says that initially his team was working on a realistic game which aimed to scare players with a variety of enemies and dark locations.
After a while, Epic Games decided to move towards a more lighthearted approach, with a world filled with color and enemies that show how powerful they can be, but still seem playful.
Fortnite is a cooperative sandbox survival experience which will have different gameplay mechanics active based on the time of day.
Players will have to explore and find resources during the day and build up their fortifications as they wait to take out waves of enemies by night.
Teamplay is very important according to Epic Games and the company wants to reward those gamers who are willing to work well with others.
Fortnite was first revealed in late 2011 and since then the company has not offered too many details about the core mechanics.
In early 2014, the studio explained that the entire experience would be free to play and that some new monetization techniques might be used to support it.
At the moment, Epic Games is preparing to run an alpha for the experience, eager to get feedback from gamers and then test out changes that will improve the game.
Fortnite will showcase Unreal Engine 4
The new Epic Games title came as a surprise, with many gamers initially believing that the company was focusing on creating middleware and would abandon classic development.
Fortnite also marks the first time that the company is dropping the classic business model associated with video games and is trying to see how a free game can perform when it has solid graphics and mechanics.
It will be interesting to see whether the game can find a solid audience that sticks with it in the long term.
At the same time, Epic Games is continuing to work on the Unreal Engine 4, improving the tech of the new engine which is widely used for upcoming major titles on the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.
Fortnite does not yet have an official launch window.
