Summary
When a UI widget created with the Verse API is displayed on consoles, it intermittently loses input focus. This prevents the player from interacting with the widget or the game, causing a softlock that requires the player to respawn. The issue seems to be an engine-level problem with focus management, especially with controllers.
Please select what you are reporting on:
Unreal Editor for Fortnite
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
UI/Tools
Steps to Reproduce
Create a UI widget using the Verse API. The widget must contain multiple focusable buttons (e.g., a shop or menu).
Set up a trigger to display this widget to the player (e.g., interacting with a device or entering a volume).
Launch a session on a console platform (PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch) using a controller.
Trigger the UI widget to appear on the screen.
Close the widget and repeat the process multiple times.
Note: The bug is intermittent but occurs more frequently with complex UIs containing many buttons arranged in both rows and columns.
Expected Result
The UI widget should always receive and maintain input focus upon being displayed. The player should be able to navigate all buttons with the controller and close the widget to return to gameplay without any issue.
Observed Result
Intermittently, the UI widget appears on the screen but does not have input focus. The player cannot navigate the buttons, select any option, or close the widget. The game is effectively softlocked for that player, and the only way to continue is to force a respawn, losing progress.
Platform(s)
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch.
Island Code
7998-1825-5183
Video
Additional Notes
This is a critical, progression-blocking bug. We strongly believe this is an engine-level issue with UEFN’s input focus management for controllers, not an error in our Verse implementation.
Our reasoning:
The issue occurs across different UI implementations and systems within our project.
A previous workaround (adding a 0.2s delay before showing the UI) lost its effectiveness after a Fortnite engine update, suggesting external changes are affecting its behavior.
The community forums contain numerous reports from other developers facing the exact same softlock issue with UI focus.
Mitigation attempts and key findings:
Dynamic State Changes: Dynamically changing the state of buttons after the UI is rendered (e.g., hiding, showing, or disabling them) is a primary trigger for the focus loss. This points to an issue in how the engine handles UI refreshes and state updates.
Complex Layouts: We’ve identified that nesting buttons within other layout widgets is a major trigger for focus loss. As a workaround, we tried placing each button in its own individual canvas to separate the button’s functionality from the main visual layout. This approach helps reduce the issue but does not solve the root cause.
Forcing a UI refresh: Tried hiding and re-showing the widget instantly (“double tap”), and overlaying a temporary transparent image. These methods did not fix the issue.
This bug severely impacts player experience and retention, as it forces players to abandon their session. Any guidance or a potential fix from the engine side would be greatly appreciated.