Unreal Engine dev brings original Doom to Fortnite

It’s apparently possible to play the original Doom game from 1993 in Fortnite, as one Unreal Engine developer has managed to prove.

For a long time now, the game Doom has been successfully run on various devices, including a calculator, ATM machine, printer, and Nintendo DS, among many others, as fans keep finding creative ways to play the first-person shooter from 1993.

The list doesn’t stop there, though; as it turns out, Fortnite is also not off-limits when it comes to running the first-person shooter.

Unreal Engine developer Jack Clayton revealed a clip of a 1993 Doom playthrough within Fortnite via a post on X. Much like the original game; it retains its pixelated graphics and movement despite running on the Battle Royale title.

But can #Fortnite run DOOM?

Obviously I can't publish this, but it was a great way to learn more about Materials and PostProcessing in #UEFN #FortniteCreative pic.twitter.com/POlf4obJlm

— Jackson Clayton (@JKClayton_FN) July 7, 2024

Here’s when things get interesting. Soon enough, the clip showcases building a la Fortnite as the mats get laid out in plain sight.

“But can #Fortnite run DOOM? Obviously I can’t publish this, but it was a great way to learn more about Materials and PostProcessing in #UEFN,” the post on X reads.

As cited from Kotaku, Clayton explained that the process for this involved hopping into “Ultimate Doom Builder” and exporting “E1M1 as a 3D model” so that it could be “ported into Fortnite’s Unreal editor.”

“Then it was mostly removing Unreal’s fancy effects to make everything unlit and unfiltered,” he added. This also includes using “Unreal’s material system to give the Doom Marine [sprite its] choppy spinning effect, and a PostProcess material to pixellate the screen and show the gun.”

Given how Fortnite’s graphics look like, the UEFN dev and programmer had to “get creative” to achieve Doom’s visuals. Fortunately, he has experience with “replicating Doom’s visual and gameplay style” since he has “released a number of Doom-inspired games on Steam before moving over to UEFN.”

Due to copyright, it’s not possible for this to be made available to the public. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see what UEFN is capable to offer in talented hands.