Lucasfilm Exec Says Fortnite is the Future of Star Wars Storytelling

That’s no moon. It’s an island. A Fortnite island, to be exact. As you probably know by now, Star Wars is headed to Fortnite in a big way. Starting May 1, developers will be able to “create Star Wars-inspired islands in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and Fortnite Creative using curated assets and tools from [Epic's] largest IP toolset to date.” That means fan-favorite characters (Luke, Leia, Vader), locations (Hoth, Nevarro, Tatooine), vehicles (X-Wings, TIE Fighters, AATs) will be fully available and playable within Fortnite. Ahead of the official launch, I sat down with James Waugh, Senior Vice President of Franchise Story and Creative Strategy at Lucasfilm to talk about just how this new experience fits into the overall Star Wars canon, whether fans can expect to see Legends skins in Fortnite any time soon, and if we can expect more exclusive looks at Star Wars movie and TV content within Fortnite. “To us, it's a no-brainer,” Waugh says of putting first-looks at big-screen Star Wars properties in Fortnite. “Given the deep history of the last few major Fortnite Star Wars events that we've done, I think it's pretty clear just what a big audience that is at the moment. It's literally where audiences are now, and it's where we're spending a lot of our time. And the ability to also create some sort of synergies between Interactive and the linear content is just the vernacular.” Beyond trailers and movie clips, Lucasfilm is attempting to appeal to hardcore gamers by diving deeper into Fortnite. Some of the new islands include: Star Wars: Galactic Siege: Think capture the flag, but as a full- blown AAA Star Wars game, where you can be any Star Wars skin even if you don’t own it. Star Wars: Droid Tycoon: A classic tycoon game, but fully Star Wars. Star Wars: Escape Vader: A true Star Wars horror game – think Dead By Daylight or Alien Isolation – where the name of the game is to avoid Vader and prevent him from killing you. “Those are just such big interesting genres that fit Star Wars so well from a fantasy perspective,” Waugh says. “The idea of survival horror games, mixing with Darth Vader, one of the scariest great characters to ever come out of cinema is perfect. [And] droids, who doesn't want to build droids? We’re all really excited to give fans these authentic tools that could empower them to create their own Star Wars experiences.” One of the biggest questions that Star Wars fans and Fortnite players alike have is whether the new experience will ever include character skins beyond the official canon. Will we see Revan or Starkiller in Fortnite? Waugh says maybe, but not yet. “I wouldn't say that we've gotten to that yet in this space,” Waugh says. “Our focus is really on giving fans the tools that this playset offers to see what they could create. Because I honestly think that's really [where] the magic is. I would hate to dictate and give people something that's Legends and instead give them authentic characters. That to me is what the power here is, to see what fun remixed ways audiences will contribute.” By bringing Star Wars to Fortnite, Lucasfilm knows that it’s handing over the keys to a vast universe to players. I asked Waugh whether or not the studio would be using that Fortnite sandbox to potentially glean ideas for upcoming movies and TV shows. “I don't think we're looking at it [that way],” Waugh says. “I think we're engaging as fans and seeing what can happen. But I found over my years that there's this zeitgeist to Star Wars. It just comes from the love and the fandom ecosystem and there are certain things people want to see. So who knows?” With the official launch of Fortnite Star Wars Islands only a few days away, Lucasfilm is just scratching the surface on how creator-led content might play into the Star Wars Galaxy. Waugh says that in addition to a robust slate of movies, TV shows, and games, UGC is undoubtedly the future of the franchise. “I don't think that it's even part of the future of the franchise. I think it is a vital part of the storytelling ecosystem today,” Waugh says. “I think that Star Wars gaming expressions are a fundamental part of what has made Star Wars successful. I've been playing Star Wars games ever since Trench Run. We’re living in a media landscape where people want to access authentic expressions of the things they love from so many different ways. And our job is to make sure that we give them that.” Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton

Apr 30, 2026 - 21:38

Lucasfilm Exec Says Fortnite is the Future of Star Wars Storytelling

That’s no moon. It’s an island. A Fortnite island, to be exact. As you probably know by now, Star Wars is headed to Fortnite in a big way. Starting May 1, developers will be able to “create Star Wars-inspired islands in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and Fortnite Creative using curated assets and tools from [Epic's] largest IP toolset to date.” That means fan-favorite characters (Luke, Leia, Vader), locations (Hoth, Nevarro, Tatooine), vehicles (X-Wings, TIE Fighters, AATs) will be fully available and playable within Fortnite.

Ahead of the official launch, I sat down with James Waugh, Senior Vice President of Franchise Story and Creative Strategy at Lucasfilm to talk about just how this new experience fits into the overall Star Wars canon, whether fans can expect to see Legends skins in Fortnite any time soon, and if we can expect more exclusive looks at Star Wars movie and TV content within Fortnite.

“To us, it's a no-brainer,” Waugh says of putting first-looks at big-screen Star Wars properties in Fortnite. “Given the deep history of the last few major Fortnite Star Wars events that we've done, I think it's pretty clear just what a big audience that is at the moment. It's literally where audiences are now, and it's where we're spending a lot of our time. And the ability to also create some sort of synergies between Interactive and the linear content is just the vernacular.”

Beyond trailers and movie clips, Lucasfilm is attempting to appeal to hardcore gamers by diving deeper into Fortnite. Some of the new islands include:

Star Wars: Galactic Siege: Think capture the flag, but as a full- blown AAA Star Wars game, where you can be any Star Wars skin even if you don’t own it.

Star Wars: Droid Tycoon: A classic tycoon game, but fully Star Wars.

Star Wars: Escape Vader: A true Star Wars horror game – think Dead By Daylight or Alien Isolation – where the name of the game is to avoid Vader and prevent him from killing you.

“Those are just such big interesting genres that fit Star Wars so well from a fantasy perspective,” Waugh says. “The idea of survival horror games, mixing with Darth Vader, one of the scariest great characters to ever come out of cinema is perfect. [And] droids, who doesn't want to build droids? We’re all really excited to give fans these authentic tools that could empower them to create their own Star Wars experiences.”

One of the biggest questions that Star Wars fans and Fortnite players alike have is whether the new experience will ever include character skins beyond the official canon. Will we see Revan or Starkiller in Fortnite? Waugh says maybe, but not yet. “I wouldn't say that we've gotten to that yet in this space,” Waugh says. “Our focus is really on giving fans the tools that this playset offers to see what they could create. Because I honestly think that's really [where] the magic is. I would hate to dictate and give people something that's Legends and instead give them authentic characters. That to me is what the power here is, to see what fun remixed ways audiences will contribute.”

By bringing Star Wars to Fortnite, Lucasfilm knows that it’s handing over the keys to a vast universe to players. I asked Waugh whether or not the studio would be using that Fortnite sandbox to potentially glean ideas for upcoming movies and TV shows.

“I don't think we're looking at it [that way],” Waugh says. “I think we're engaging as fans and seeing what can happen. But I found over my years that there's this zeitgeist to Star Wars. It just comes from the love and the fandom ecosystem and there are certain things people want to see. So who knows?”

With the official launch of Fortnite Star Wars Islands only a few days away, Lucasfilm is just scratching the surface on how creator-led content might play into the Star Wars Galaxy. Waugh says that in addition to a robust slate of movies, TV shows, and games, UGC is undoubtedly the future of the franchise.

“I don't think that it's even part of the future of the franchise. I think it is a vital part of the storytelling ecosystem today,” Waugh says. “I think that Star Wars gaming expressions are a fundamental part of what has made Star Wars successful. I've been playing Star Wars games ever since Trench Run. We’re living in a media landscape where people want to access authentic expressions of the things they love from so many different ways. And our job is to make sure that we give them that.”

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton

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