Fortnite is arguably the best game in the world. It might not be the most realistic game on the market, but it is inclusive to nearly all platforms and all people. Whether you have been playing first-person shooters your whole life or you are just getting started, gaming with Epic Games’ biggest hit will be a playable adventure to all.
When Fortnite came out back in July of 2017, it was available on all platforms that could run an Unreal Engine first-person shooter. From mobile phones to the newest console platform, this game was being played everywhere. The only place this game was not? Virtual reality. Getting Fortnite VR wasn’t always a topic of discussion, but the recent headsets with incredible power have shifted the idea toward Epic creating a video game inside of a virtual headset.
Epic has already made a game for the Oculus Rift, the VR headset that first became mainstream. Robo Recall is the name of the game, and it is a first-person shooter with a lot of action, something somewhat similar to Fortnite. Players and gamers know that Epic is capable of making a good VR game, so how hard would it be to bring the most popular game in the world to the virtual worlds? We might have answers.
Where is Fortnite VR?
For any VR experience, there is going to be some (if not, all) developing the game for virtual reality. Fortnite isn’t developed that way, even though it is powered by the Unreal Engine, the same that engine that is powering Robo Recall. To play Fortnite inside of virtual reality, you’ll need to be able to interact with the digital world with your controllers the same way you do with a 2D version of the game. There is a lot to unpack on what that wouldn’t work.
We don’t want to sound too negative about the idea of Fortnite inside of virtual reality, but there are some flaws to the idea. Unless you are planning on making a lite version of the game, there is going to be a good amount of initial flaws to pan out. We will write a little about each below.
Movement
If you have had the chance to play both Fortnite and virtual titles on the same day, you will know how different the two can be. If you get a bad drop on Fortnite, you could be running in empty space for a while before you even realize you are still in a multiplayer battle royal. To play the game successfully, you will be running around without remembering you are a shooter. Even though this is one of the worlds favorite games, there is still a lot of dead time and running in space in this game, regardless of the mode most times.
As for virtual reality, the movement is what developers are avoiding most times. Virtual reality is still a growing gaming industry, but there has yet to be a game that has perfected the movement mechanisms. It can be hard to understand what the players want, and when you are constantly making and playing the game, it can be hard to know if you are really going to be getting players motion sick. We have found that a common theme inside of VR first-person shooters is a feeling of motion sickness. In Epic’s game, we felt that way, but not nearly as bad as some other titles.
If there is going to be a VR Fortnite, Epic Games will almost need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to movement inside of VR. Until then, we will be sticking with other titles.
Game Mechanics + Rewards
To build the game from the ground up would be a completely new project. Although it may seem easy to load the game inside of your headset, there is a lot of moving parts when it comes to the newest VR device. The technology is there for the game, but would Epic ever take the time required to make this a virtual title? Probably not.
There aren’t enough virtual reality players out in the public right now. Although the industry is only growing, the amount of players isn’t enough to pay for the time it would take. And let us remind you, one of the reasons Fortnite is so popular and adopted is the price. It is free. It costs money to buy the battle pass and skins, but it is completely free to play. If Epic took the time to make this a virtual title, it would require some real compensation, compensation that we don’t think would be made as of right now.
We don’t think there is enough money to make from a VR Fortnite just yet.
Conclusion
We doubt Fortnite is coming to virtual reality any time soon. We don’t think there is an answer to the movement inside of virtual reality yet, and we don’t think any developing studio has the answer just yet either. Unless everyone inside of VR is willing to spend a few thousand on a treadmill to run a few miles each game, we don’t think we will see movement for this specific game in VR work.
On top of the movement idea, we will need more VR users to be actively engaged in the community. There are not tons of VR users in the first place, so actively playing the games and asking for new ones will prove to developers that their games will somewhat succeed. Star Wars made its way to virtual reality, but in a limited way that didn’t see nearly the same action the Fallen Order saw.
If we see Fortnite come to VR, don’t be surprised to see it come only when there is an event to watch, such as a new season change, Marshmello concert, or even an eSports tournament. Either way, we expect this to, if it ever does come out, to be a lite title. For more VR news and gaming community updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
