Quiklabs, a local content incubator, together with Circle Studios, a Malaysian-based animation and gaming development studio, ran its inaugural Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) boot camp over the weekend. The boot camp was held with support from the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) along with the International Games Development Association (IGDA) as the community partner.
The boot camp saw 59 participants, ranging from college & university students to professionals already in the games development scene, on how to create UGC, and monetize them using the popular gaming engine Unreal, and publishing it on Fortnite, one of the top games online that features UGC from global content creators. Participants joined the session both on-site at the Dasein Academy of Art in KL, as well as online.
At the boot camp, a fireside chat consisting of Mohan Low Director of Digital Creative Content, Joshua Moh, Co-Founder of Quiklabs and Steven Fong, Co-Founder & CEO of Circle Studio, and moderated by Jonathan Tang, Malaysia Lead at International Game Developers Association (IGDA) saw several topics discussed, ranging from the allure of monetization to the viability of UGC items in 2024, giving participants a sneak into the world of UGC creation.
Mohan shared that MDEC is looking to develop and nurture Malaysian IP in Fortnite, and boot camps from Quiklabs are a great way to help advance that goal. UEFN, for the uninformed, is a PC-based application that helps to publish UGC to Fortnite.
During the one-day boot camp, participants learned how to create projects using UEFN with the end goal of publishing their projects directly to Fortnite.
Joshua said, “With Epic Games allocating 40% of Fortnite’s 2023 revenue to map creators, we see a transformative phase in UGC monetization. This is not just a financial incentive; it’s a paradigm shift, making it easier for studios to produce double-A quality content.”
At the end of the boot camp, Quiklab announced that the company is introducing a USD500,000 development fund, open to the public. The fund is designed to support and nurture the visions of upcoming game developers and creators looking to market their ideas. For those interested to apply for the fund, they can do so from Quiklab’s website.
