Join us 2026-05-27T18:00:00Z for a Let’s Chat livestream hosted by @Squatingdog , where Epic Games’ Harold Emsheimer will be answering your questions, and sharing more about how Discover works and how it will continue to evolve.
Set a reminder: https://youtube.com/live/tVFD3hs1NZE
Please post questions you’d like to see answered during the Let’s Chat in this thread. Note: all questions are selected by the host and we will try to answer as many as time allows.
Are there any plans to improve the discoverability of new islands, such as adding ‘Trending’ or ‘Top Rated’ tabs since currently it is very hard for new islands to reach the top of discovery?
Thanks, if you need some stats from me (Epic or anyone) - I am happy to share as I am collecting all data from every map that went into the discover since 2023. Also - I hope Tim does know “discover is Fortnite” - with a “bad” discover - there are no people 
Have a great one:)
Question 1:
What are the plans to improve discoverability on islands from small creators? Currently it’s nearly impossible to get any kind of traction with only 10 minutes in Discover.
Question 2:
What’s the reasoning behind not dedicating one slot in the Homebar for Epic’s Picks? It’s a long process that takes months and Epic only features innovating games. Currently Epic’s Picks doesn’t have enough visibility for the amount of time creators wait to get in. If they get in.
Question 3:
What are the plans on improving the Sponsored tab? It’s basically monopolized at this moment and small to medium sized creators are outbid from it.
What do the new Genre rows focus on the most to sort the 120 islands per row? And are there plans to personalise these rows in the future with a mix of island metrics + player interest?
I think this will give a greater chance to show a wider variety of islands that can serve a larger number of players.
Question: How is discovery gonna get more efficent for New and smaller developers?
Question: Why do some maps apear in discovery and some not, even if they have high sophistication score?
Question: Why is it so hard to enter updated and how to enter it?
Question: Is it possible to revive and old map and get in on discovery again after it wasnt for a few months?
Hi there. I’m having trouble getting my map to appear in the “Updated” tab. For the past two months, my map hasn’t been showing up in the “Updated” tab. I’m talking about map 6660-6247-0397. For the past two months, I’ve been releasing major updates where I’ve added new mechanics, reworked the verse code, fixed bugs, added new “anomalies,” and a lot more, but I haven’t been featured in the Updated tab even once. Despite all this, I haven’t been spamming updates; the map has a decent player base, with solid CTR, retention, and other metrics. Please tell me what the problem is. I’m really tired of this, to be honest. To develop the project, I need engagement from players, and to get that engagement, I need the players themselves. Please explain to me why I’ve never been featured in the Updated tab. Thank you.
Question 1
Given that roughly 70% of Sponsored Row ad space is currently concentrated among the same ~20 creators out of more than 100K creators on the platform, bid prices have escalated dramatically, making paid discovery increasingly difficult for smaller teams to access.
Are there any plans to better regulate the market dynamics and create a healthier, more accessible advertising ecosystem with broader participation opportunities?
Question 2
Are there any plans to address the extreme visibility imbalance between the first row and the rest of the tab layout? Right now, the gap in exposure between the first and second row is so significant that even breakout islands reaching strong positions outside the first row often receive little meaningful traction or long-term discoverability.
Question: How do tags work? Do they actually decide in what category the island is visible? If so how much do tags affect and how do other factors affect where the island lands. I’ve seen for a very long time where islands in categories like horror, had nothing to do with horror or horror tags, same with prophunt islands nothing to do with prop hunt, and you can’t say is an error because they stick for a long time. I also had islands in the past land in categories that didn’t know even existed and had nothing to do with my island.
Question: Do you consider creating a FPS shooter category? There are a lot of fps shooter maps and I think is quite important to have a category for it since ballistic is gone. There is a First Person Category but is mostly horror / non shooter maps.
Question: Will sponsor row hit it’s desired behavior? I feel like sponsor row was created to promote and show unique maps and help creative creators (this sounds so weird) to reach an audience. From my previous experience there were about 100 creators per month promoted and half of them were permanently there. Maybe things have changed but I hope this row, since is a paid row, is not affected by bad actors and exploiters.
I hope guys bring back the lets chat discovery and maybe keep it as a monthly or bi-monthly discussion.
Can the FIRST-PERSON category get added back? There seems to be not as much support for first person maps anymore especially since ballistic has been removed (First Person Expanded FOV feature or pickaxe animations would be more good updates too…)
Will you only allow the use of AI for maps that reflect the game’s content? And Small creators like me will have a better chance, and at least one chance of being featured to gain a player base other than through social media, if they meet the requirements and respect the rules, like a mod site?
Why is roguelike category gone? It has literally killed the category. Visibility makes no sense. This is killing games
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