Requesting Clarification Regarding Use of Star Wars Assets

Development Cinematics & Media
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Hello reader,

I am hoping that an official legal distinction can be made here. I am aiming to adapt an original story by Joe Schreiber to film, possibly using UEFN and the Fortnite Star Wars assets to aid in production. I have reviewed the following two resources for rules and guidelines:

The setting for said story would be on an Imperial Star Destroyer; as the assets for the full external view and a hangar are included in the Star Wars asset pack, I surmise this is not a problem.

However, I am unsure on the specific guidelines surrounding use of characters. Since the story features a zombie-like virus, the flim would include zombified characters. Can a filmmaker for example edit the UFEN model “Imperial Stormtrooper” asset in-engine to depict missing limbs, discoloration, disfiguration, etc. ? If such modifications cannot be made in UEFN to the model directly, do content guidelines extend to post-processing modification/ VFX of those assets in footage captured within UEFN and used on third-party software?

What depictions can or cannot be shown? Can blood be depicted, or corpses? Ballistic mode sets precedent for not including the “blue pixel cube” despawn animation and leaving bodies. Could a red version of these pixel cubes be used to represent damage or decay? Can stormtroopers be mixed with existing zombie or zombie-adjacent characters for film use? What bodily injuries, if any, can be shown (scratching, breaking, etc.)? Is implication separate from explicit depiction?

This would all be operating under a nonprofit, unmonetized fan use scope.

Thanks.

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Hi Cosmyk,

The rules around blood are governed broadly in the developer rules (1.15.1)

This is just my interpretation, but the ‘Zombified Stormtrooper’ seems problematic.

“You are not permitted to create your own version of a Star Wars Asset or new assets based on Star Wars or Star Wars Assets, or to recreate any non-genuine Star Wars Assets…”

Creating something and just capturing footage is an interesting angle. Not sure what you mean by “used on third-party software” though.

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the ‘Zombified Stormtrooper’ seems problematic

Did you actually read the post or just the title and skim? That’s part of the basis of the post and why I am requesting clarification. It’s implicit.

You are not permitted to create your own version of a Star Wars Asset or new assets based on Star Wars or Star Wars Assets, or to recreate any non-genuine Star Wars Asset

Yes you’re quoting something I’ve already read and cited. The pretext to that phrase just a few sentences before states that these rules are pertaining to “building, publishing, and promoting Star Wars Islands.” As this project would not involve making an island but rather simply using UEFN and the Star Wars assets, the ruling around this specific use case is ambiguous. In your reference for rules around blood at Fortnite Developer Rules - Epic Games (or anywhere else that I can find) there is no definition for what constitutes an island, only superlative qualifications that dictate islands are defined as/need to be “original, fully playable experiences.” I do not believe simply constructing assets and scripts for internal personal use falls under the act of creating an island and is thus not beholden to rules established for islands.

Not sure what you mean

”post-processing modification/ VFX” is literally predicated. Thid-party (not owned by Epic) software to add blood or erase parts of assets or otherwise modify the end appearance of those models. As these programs exist outside of Epic’s jurisdiction I am under the assumption users of those software are not beholden to the rules I outlined in the post.

If you’re going to reply to a post please try to add contribution or redirect to more authoritative sources or points of contact. Resummarizing the original post does not help; this isn’t a classroom discussion-post assignment.

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Using assets provided with the IP partnership program to create media that’s shown/distributed outside of the context of Fortnite Islands feels wrong to me. Wrong in a sense that Disney would see it and say “Hey, that’s not cool to decapitate a storm trooper etc”

But let’s assume that when you say “internal personal use” you mean that you’re making it on your PC for only yourself to view.

There’s 2 areas that I think you might run into trouble.

  1. If you’re using URC - I’ve heard of projects being locked for containing certain assets. In my mind that’s basically Epic saying “hey, we don’t want this on our servers”
  2. Even without URC - to ‘Play’ (even in the context of Playing to view a cinematic) there is an upload that needs to happen (UEFN → Fortnite) which also brings up the problem of assets on Epics servers.

As far as ‘more authoritative sources’ I see the “IP Partner Licensing Agreement” is mentioned in the Star-Wars brand rules, but the hyperlink to the terms are currently absent. (I cannot find this document) I wonder if there’s any more clarification in there…

Being given access to a legendary IP like this is unprecedented imo, so we still may be in territory where rules around this are being figured out.