On this episode, host David Taylor dives into one of the most eventful stretches the Fortnite Creative / UEFN ecosystem has seen in months. Epic has rolled out a wave of major updates — from monetization changes to discovery shifts — and today we unpack what they mean for creators, studios, and the future of the platform.

David is joined by two fantastic guests. Chad Mustard, COO of JOGO Studios, returns to the show after another breakout year as one of the top 10 developers on Fortnite by total plays. Chad brings a studio-level perspective on building hit experiences, navigating updates, and scaling inside a fast-evolving ecosystem. He’s joined by Jon Jungemann, better known as SleightedSloth, a leading creator in the Tycoon genre and one of the most thoughtful voices on systems design, monetization, and the economics of UEFN.

Together, the group breaks down the rise of Steal the Brainrot and what that breakout moment signals for developers — from production trends to player behavior to what “success” looks like in today’s marketplace. They also explore the wave of M&A activity beginning to emerge inside Fortnite Creative and what kinds of deals are actually happening behind the scenes.

From there, the conversation shifts to the biggest structural changes Epic has introduced: in-island item sales (and why they might be the single biggest unlock for creators to date), the rollout of UA Rewards and Paid Campaigns, and the latest adjustments to Discovery. We dig into how these tools reshape studio strategy, how developers are adapting their designs, and what all of this means for long-term sustainability on the platform.

We’d like to thank Overwolf for making this episode possible! Whether you're a gamer, creator, or game studio, Overwolf is the ultimate destination for integrating UGC in games! You can check out all Overwolf has to offer at https://www.overwolf.com/.

We’d also like to thank modl.ai for making this episode possible! Using a combination of computer vision, reasoning models, and feedback loops, modl:QA+ autonomously explores builds, detects bugs, and generates actionable reports that sync directly with your existing workflows. To learn more, simply visit https://www.modl.ai/.

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.