Epic Games and Lego have taken another significant step in their partnership to expand the Fortnite ecosystem beyond battle royale. The launch of Brick Life, a Lego-themed city where players can live virtual lives, marks a new direction for the popular game. This move is part of a broader strategy to rebrand Lego Fortnite as a hub that houses all Lego experiences within the game.

The goal, according to Epic's executive vice president of game development, Devin Winterbottom, is to continue expanding Fortnite in ways that challenge the traditional notion of what the game is. Winterbottom emphasized that the company wants to avoid a scenario where everything looks like battle royale, instead opting for a diverse range of experiences that appeal to a broad audience.

Brick Life, a family-friendly nonviolent space, allows players to explore and socialize within a Lego city. This launch is accompanied by a rebranding of Lego Fortnite, which will now serve as a hub for all Lego experiences in the game. The survival title has been renamed Lego Fortnite Odyssey, and Lego has also released several smaller, experimental games to further broaden the audience.

Remi Marcelli, head of games at Lego, explained that the initial plan for these experiments was to create experiences that deviated significantly from the traditional Fortnite battle royale. One such example is Cat Island Adventure, where players care for kittens on a cozy island. Although the game had a decent player base at launch, it struggled to find traction within the Fortnite environment.

Marcelli noted that the Lego team has learned the importance of appealing to a broad audience, including hardcore battle royale players. The new hub area is designed to make it easier for players to discover these more offbeat experiences, like the cat island game.

One of the significant challenges facing these new game experiences within Fortnite is competing with the popularity of battle royale. Currently, various iterations of battle royale, such as Zero Build or Fortnite OG, dominate in terms of player count. While some games, like Odyssey, have carved out a significant audience, others, like Rocket Racing, have struggled to gain traction.

Winterbottom acknowledged that the battle royale product can distort the perception of success, making it difficult to gauge the performance of other games within the ecosystem. He emphasized that success comes in various sizes, and that games that appeal to smaller groups of players can still be considered successful.

As Epic Games and Lego continue to push the boundaries of what Fortnite can be, it's clear that this is just the beginning of a long-term partnership. With a decade-long vision, both teams are thinking far beyond the current gaming landscape, with plans to incorporate a wide range of experiences, including first-person shooters, roguelikes, and musical experiences, into the Fortnite ecosystem.

With the launch of Brick Life, Epic Games and Lego have taken a significant step towards realizing their vision of turning Fortnite into a video game platform that offers something for everyone. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it will be fascinating to see how this partnership shapes the future of interactive entertainment.