Katarzyna Petru
No one expected such an announcement. During the annual Unity conference, something occurred that can easily be called the beginning of a new era in game development. Unity and Epic Games — long-time fierce rivals — are entering into a collaboration that could completely reshape the way games are created and function.
Games from Unity will officially join Fortnite
Fortnite has long ceased to be just a "game". It is an ecosystem, a platform, a gigantic marketplace with over 500 million accounts, where creators can earn through the Fortnite Creator Economy. Now, this world will welcome… games created on Unity.
Yes, you read that correctly — projects from the Unity engine can be published directly in Fortnite. For developers, this means access to a massive audience and new monetisation tools, and for Epic Games – another step in building its own metaverse.
And this is just the beginning. Unity will add support for Unreal Engine
The second part of the collaboration is something even more surprising:
Unreal Engine will be integrated into the multi-platform trading platform Unity.
What does this mean in practice? Developers working with Unreal will be able to manage:
digital product catalogs,
payment providers,
stores on PC, mobile, and web,
prices, promotions, and live operations,
— using a single, unified set of Unity tools.
The unification of the two largest technologies in the industry is a move that not long ago sounded like science fiction.
The first features will appear at the beginning of next year, and at that time we will also learn the release schedule of the first games created with this integration in mind.
“It’s like the beginnings of the internet.” Tim Sweeney on the vision of a shared metaverse
The founder of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, does not hide that he sees this announcement as a historical event:
“Just like in the early days of the internet, we believe that companies must collaborate to build open metaverses in an interoperable and fair way. By working with Unity, we are helping developers create engaging games, reach a wider audience, and succeed.”
This is a very clear signal: the battle for the metaverse is moving to a higher level. Instead of a war of engines, the integration of ecosystems is beginning.
What does this mean for the industry?
Developers are gaining unprecedented freedom of action.
Fortnite is solidifying its position as a gigantic, open gaming platform.
Unity and Unreal – instead of competing – are starting to collaborate on a shared infrastructure.
This could be a moment that in a few years we will remember in the same way we recall the launch of the App Store or the beginnings of Steam. History is unfolding before our eyes — and 2026 could be the year when the boundaries between engines and platforms truly cease to exist.
