Hello Fortnite developers,
At Unreal Fest Chicago, Jon Fox and I shared a deep dive on where Discover is headed and the changes we’ve made over the last few months. If you weren’t able to join us, the full session is available now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mbZzMOQIXdU
Our goal remains the same: every time a player opens Discover, they should find something great to play. Discover’s job is to connect your games with the players who’ll love them, but a healthy ecosystem can’t depend on only manual curation. It needs to happen automatically with personalized curation.
I wanted to lay out some of the things that are landing in the next few days and coming weeks.
Eligibility filtering: elevating quality content, August 5
A common piece of feedback is that developers aren’t always clear when, or why, their islands aren’t reaching or staying in Discover.
Starting tomorrow, you’ll be notified in Creator Portal if your published island is not eligible for placement in Discover. You can also review our updated How Discover Works documentation, which outlines common reasons why an island may not be featured in Discover. How Discover Works in Fortnite | Fortnite Documentation | Epic Developer Community
Personalized ranking within rows: finding the right fit for every player
We recently introduced personalized row ordering to Discover, ranking genre rows based on each player’s play history and preferences.
In the next few days, we’re rolling out personalized ranking inside the genre rows themselves. Players will see content ranked to their own tastes and play history, even within a single genre. For example, one tycoon might be a great fit for one player and jump to the front of the row for them, while a different tycoon is the better fit for someone else and takes the lead in their version of the row. For more information, review our updated How Discover Works documentation. How Discover Works in Fortnite | Fortnite Documentation | Epic Developer Community
With each player’s Discover being personalized, we also want to give developers a way to check their island’s overall performance. Island rankings will be available through our API [ Swagger UI ] so you can check Fortnite.gg and FCHQ to see how often and where your islands appear across all of Discover.
Smarter tiles: better visibility for updated content
Coming in later Q3, islands with meaningful recent updates will get a highlight right on their tile, like an “Updated” badge and have the ability to show up in any Discover row. This will signal to players who’ve already jumped into your island, or who enjoy similar content, that there’s something new to check out. We will also be removing the dedicated Updated row now that updated islands can appear across Discover.
The key word is meaningful. This is about real updates—such as new themes, areas, modes and mechanics—that give players a reason to return. When we invest meaningfully in updates to our own games, players find a way to connect with them, and we want the same to pay off for you.
Looking ahead
There’s plenty still in the works, from richer social proof on tiles and a like-percentage alongside CCU, to a broader redesign that will put Discover upfront in the player experience. Find out more: https://youtu.be/mbZzMOQIXdU?si=EC8jMR5xWwzpxOXF&t=992
The best islands for a given player should be the ones that player sees. You build something great, keep it updated, and keep players engaged once they’re in. Discover connects it with the audience who’ll love it, giving it the exposure it deserves.
Thanks for continuing to build in Fortnite! I’ll be posting more updates to the EDC and on X (@HaroldatEpic). If you have feedback, would love to hear it so please drop a comment below!
