The Creative Juice Podcast

Wertandrew is one of the most respected OG creators in Fortnite Creative and UEFN, known for building some of the most ambitious solo experiences in the space including Domus Mortem and Time Skip Chronicles. Matt sits down with Wert to get the unfiltered truth on what actually works in Fortnite Creative in 2026 and why most creators are getting it wrong.

In this episode they cover:

This week on Creative Juice, I sit down with Sleighted Sloth, one of the most respected tycoon creators in the UEFN space. Jon walked away from a six-year career in credit card app development to go all in on Fortnite Creative in 2024, and what happened next is genuinely impressive.

We cover the full journey, from his early days in mobile development to getting invited to a LEGO game jam in Denmark, landing in Epic Picks, and pulling in over 2 million V-bucks in a single picks run through in-island transactions. Jon shares his actual design philosophy behind some...

Deepak Nair is one of the only people in the world who has worked inside Roblox, Epic Games (Fortnite Creative), and Meta Horizon Worlds. In this episode, he shares what he learned from all three ecosystems and holds nothing back.

We get into what platforms actually prioritize vs. what they tell creators, why most developer feedback never turns into real change, the habits that separate creators who last from creators who burn out, how solo devs can outperform big studios, and why building your own community outside the platform is no longer optional.

Deepak also...

Brian Grayson has seen the industry from nearly every angle.

He started in law, helped scale Hi-Rez Studios during the growth of Smite and Paladins, led publishing and R&D initiatives, and now applies those lessons inside Fortnite through Ghost Gaming.

In this conversation, we unpack what AAA studios understand about live service development that many creators overlook. Brian explains why retention is the core signal of product quality, why Day 1 retention is brutally hard to fix, and how data should guide decisions without being emotional. We also discuss sunk cost fallacy, why copying rarely...

PixelatedDreamz is a Fortnite and UEFN environment artist who has quietly built one of the strongest freelance careers in the ecosystem. Starting from Creative 1.0 and early Minecraft builds, he found his niche in environments, landscapes, and materials, and turned that focus into over 110 paid commissions in a single year.

In this episode, we talk about the moment that changed his path, why good-looking maps still fail without marketing, how social media became his main source of work, and what new creators misunderstand about getting hired. PixelatedDreamz also shares his approach to learning complex tools, optimizing large environments...

If you’ve ever shipped a UEFN map you genuinely believed in, but Discovery never gave it a real shot, this episode is for you.

I’m joined by Graeme Bull, one of the most trusted educators in the UEFN and Verse space, to break down what actually holds creators back long term. We talk about the biggest misconception new UEFN developers walk in with, why great games can sit “dead” for months and suddenly pop off, and how to think about discovery, thumbnails, and marketing without spiraling into excuses.

We also go deep on...

In this episode of The Creative Juice Podcast, I sit down with GameDevMicah to break down what it actually takes to push Unreal Engine and UEFN beyond the obvious.

We dig into real world optimization mistakes, common performance traps creators fall into, and how systems like instancing, GPU workflows, and destruction can scale when used correctly. Micah also shares why building in public matters, how devlogs can accelerate learning and trust, and what most creators misunderstand about performance in Unreal.

If you are building in Unreal Engine or UEFN and want to create more ambitious...

Eddie Benson and Joel Bestart, Co-Founders of Team Gauntlet, join the podcast to share the real story behind Kraken and how a small team built one of Fortnite’s most successful long-form UEFN experiences.

We unpack what happened before Kraken broke through, how early community feedback shaped the game, and why progression and retention mattered more than chasing short-term Discovery spikes. Eddie and Joel also break down how they divide responsibilities as a small studio, ship ambitious updates, and avoid spreading themselves too thin.

The conversation also dives into their Disney collaboration on Percy Jackson, wh...

Yu7a, CEO and Co Founder of Vysena Studios, joins me to break down the real story behind some of Fortnite’s most iconic creative projects. We talk about how Naruto and BTS came together in Creative 1.0, what brands still get wrong when entering Fortnite, and why Vysena just launched a new era focused on building long term player focused UEFN games.

He shares behind the scenes stories from the March Through Time project, early Creative growth, working with Epic, trends creators should watch, and what separates great UEFN teams from the rest.

If you wa...

Fortnite creators always talk about the Discovery system, but almost nobody understands how it actually works. In this episode, I sit down with Jon Hughes, founder of FCHQ and one of the leading analytic minds in Fortnite Creative and UEFN. Jon breaks down the real numbers behind map success, why certain genres explode, why others fade fast, and what the data shows about player behavior in 2025.

We talk about viral loops, live events, retention targets, session time goals, hidden pitfalls, and the common mistakes creators still make. Jon also shares stories from building FCHQ, working inside Epic...

Jim Ying, Managing Director & Founder of Mihada Capital, joins me to break down what it really takes to sell your studio or game. We dive into when to sell, what buyers actually look for, common mistakes creators make, and how acquisitions happen behind the scenes.

This episode is a masterclass for any creator or studio thinking about scaling, raising capital, or getting acquired.

Connect with Jim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimying/
Website: https://www.mihadacapital.com/

Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch)

Watch the vid...

From Tiffany & Co. to Hive Studio, Dummblond has built some of Fortnite’s most iconic Creative hubs and maps, with more than 100 million plays worldwide. In this episode, she shares how she transitioned from luxury retail to game development, her creative process inside Hive (the studio behind 1v1 With Every Gun), and what it takes to lead in Fortnite’s UGC space.

Connect with Dummblond:
X (Twitter): https://x.com/DummblondGaming

Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch)

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts
Twitter: https://www.x.co...

Philipp Batura, founder of Topcat, joins me to share how he went from failing at his first Roblox game to building a 7-figure digital fashion business featured in Forbes. We talk about the rise of Roblox UGC, scaling to over a million avatar items sold per month, why digital fashion matters more than ever, and how Topcat became one of the biggest names in virtual streetwear.

Connect with Philipp:
 X (Twitter): https://x.com/TopcatGG
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-batura/
Website: https://topcat.gg/

P...

Michael Herriger, co-founder of Atlas Creative, joins me to talk about building the OG Fortnite map with UEFN, working with brands like the NBA and Microsoft, and expanding into Roblox with hits like Arcade Basketball. We cover player-first design, pitching brands the right way, lessons from billions of plays, and what’s next for Atlas.

Connect with Michael:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelherriger/
Atlas Creative: https://atlascreative.com/

Please leave a positive review 💚(Helps out a bunch)

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@ImmatureG/podcasts
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On this episode of The Creative Juice Podcast, Matt Zanazzo sits down with Ethan Guest, co-founder of Bloom Creative and one of the masterminds behind Zombie Escape, a Fortnite Creative map that exploded with millions of players.

We talk about:
 • The scariest moment of publishing their first map
 • How Zombie Escape became addictive and impossible to copy
 • What playtesting every single day taught Bloom Creative
 • Brand collabs with Panda Express, The Walking Dead, and Sleepy Hollow
 • The future of Fortnite UEFN with AI, Scene Graph, and custom items

Dylan “SirRifty” Benn is the 18-year-old CEO of Genesis Studios, the Fortnite UEFN team behind some of the platform’s most ambitious projects. From building Squid Game with over 1M players in a single day to recreating Fortnite’s iconic live events, Genesis is setting new standards for creative studios.

In this episode, we cover:
 • SirRifty’s journey from Roblox to Fortnite UEFN
 • How Genesis Studios scaled from a friend group to a full business
 • The secrets behind Squid Game’s explosive success
 • Building live events that rival Epic’s own
 • Balancing passion...

Adam Starr is a video game lawyer helping UGC creators navigate the complex world of platform policies, contracts, mods, and IP rights across Fortnite, Roblox, and beyond.

In this episode, we cover:
 • Who actually owns your Fortnite/UEFN map
• Brand usage rules (LEGO, NFL, Nike, music, etc.) developers usually get wrong
• What types of mods and copyrighted assets can get you in trouble
• How to structure contracts, rev-share, and creator rights early
• The biggest legal mistakes UEFN devs make without realizing it
• What’s next for UGC law as platforms turn into publishers...

Zak Phelps helped the early evolution of Fortnite Creative while at Epic Games, shaping the tools and systems that now power millions of player-made maps.

In this episode, we cover:
 • How Fortnite’s most viral game modes started with broken tools
 • The real reason “Steal a Brain Rot” and “Grow a Garden” exploded
 • Why discovery is more math than magic
 • What brands get wrong when launching in Fortnite
 • How Zak helps creators and studios find their niche—and win

📱 Follow Zak:
 • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zphelps/

📱 Follow me on socials:
 •...

Hannes Van der Haegen (aka UtaSmoota) went from full-time dad and software architect to building one of Fortnite's most successful studios: Team Unite.

In this episode, we cover:
 • How Hannes built a 10M-player Oral-B game
• Creating viral Fortnite maps for LEGO, Adidas, and Gillette
• The real strategy behind discovery, retention, and brand work in UEFN
• Why modular Verse code is the secret weapon for scaling maps
• The most painful bugs and workarounds from Fortnite 1.0
• What’s next for Team Unite and the future of UEFN<...