Fortnite x Karol G

About

Working at the intersection of music, gaming, and virtual production is always exciting, but getting the chance to contribute to a major Fortnite event, especially one featuring a global megastar like Karol G, was a fantastic opportunity. The Karol G MSB Fortnite experience wasn't just a passive concert; it was envisioned as a multi-part playable journey, immersing players in Karol G's universe through racing, surfing, dancing, and combating negative energy with unique gameplay mechanics. Magnopus partnered with the Fortnite team to bring this ambitious vision to life within the UEFN platform.

My role involved tackling some unique technical challenges inherent to developing complex, interactive systems within the UEFN environment. The goal was to create seamless and engaging gameplay moments – like stylized vehicle sequences with dynamic cameras and fluid water sliding – that felt native to both Fortnite and Karol G's vibrant aesthetic.

My Role & Contributions

My focus was on prototyping and implementing core technical systems, particularly pushing the boundaries of what was possible with vehicle and movement mechanics within UEFN at the time. This involved deep dives into Verse scripting, Control Rig, and developing custom tooling to support the design and art teams.

UEFN Vehicle & Camera Systems

• Vehicle Prototype: One of the major challenges was creating a functional and visually compelling vehicle system within UEFN. I prototyped what was essentially a first-of-its-kind approach, leveraging a combination of Verse scripting for logic and Control Rig for animation and environmental interaction.

• Procedural Suspension: UEFN/Verse lacked native line tracing capabilities, which are typically crucial for realistic vehicle suspension. To overcome this, I employed Control Rig to develop a procedurally animated vehicle rig. This allowed the vehicle to visually react realistically to the environment (bumps, inclines) without relying on traditional physics raycasts, while being driven by UEFN grind rail splines and custom Verse devices.

• Lane Switching: For the racing/movement sequences, I prototyped a smooth lane-switching system. This utilized UEFN's grind rail spline components not just for pathing but also to dynamically determine the vehicle's direction and velocity, allowing players to seamlessly interpolate between different lanes.

• Vehicle Follow Camera: To ensure the vehicle sequences felt dynamic and cinematic, I developed a custom follow camera system specifically for the vehicles. This system provided smooth, engaging camera movements that tracked the player's vehicle while navigating the complex spline paths and lane switches.

Custom Editor Tooling

• UE5 Spline Data Exporter Tool: Recognizing the tedious nature of manually configuring spline data within UEFN devices (like grind rails) and landscape splines, I developed a custom Unreal Engine 5 editor utility tool. This tool allowed designers and artists to easily copy spline data (from landscape splines or standard spline components created in the UE5 editor) and import it directly into the relevant UEFN devices within their level instances. This helped streamline the level design workflow, saving valuable iteration time.

Movement Mechanics

• Water Sliding Prototype: For the surfing segments, I prototyped the initial water sliding movement mechanics. This involved dynamically controlling a UEFN grind rail device based on player input, combined with custom Verse devices. This setup enabled players to intuitively steer left and right, simulating a fluid sliding motion across the water surfaces while locked onto the underlying path.

Contributing to the Karol G MSB Fortnite experience was a rewarding exercise in creative problem-solving within a rapidly evolving platform like UEFN. Developing novel solutions using Verse and Control Rig to bring dynamic vehicles, cameras, and movement to life, and creating tools to directly improve team workflow, were key highlights of my involvement in helping build this unique playable concert.