Load into this reimagined Fortnite cityscape, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Online platforms have long been sandboxes for futuristic societal visions, whether it’s the pixellated virtual forums of noughties favourite Second Life, or the persistent and vast immersive gaming worlds of Minecraft, GTA, World of Warcraft, et al. Not all of these digital spaces go the distance; Second Life now lies shuttered and abandoned, and even Zuckerberg’s billions couldn’t make the Metaverse a must-visit virtual destination.

One platform that seems to endure is Fortnite, Epic Games’ cartoonishly violent Battle Royale-style shooter. Not only does the game have 650 million registered players, with well over a million playing at any one time around the world, it’s also proved to be a useful platform for launching everything from new albums and cars, through to movies, TV shows and other video games, through bespoke characters, environments and accessories.

Underpinning all this is the Unreal Engine, a 3D creation tool developed by Epic Games that forms the basis of many contemporary video games. To reshape the worlds of Fortnite, there’s a dedicated tool, Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), one that allows creatives of all stripes to build spaces that can be interacted with using the dynamic movement of the game.

Re:Imagine London is a joint project that brings Zaha Hadid Architects into the realm of Fortnite. Working alongside the team at Epic Games, the project explores ways in which UEFN can evolve into a useful tool for industries like architecture and interiors. Using data from AccuCities’ ultra-high fidelity 3D map of London, ZHA has tapped into the skills of its Computation and Design Group (ZHACODE), which explores all forms of digital design, both online and in the real world.

Because this is the Fortnite engine, Re:Imagine London recreates the city as a multiplayer experience, a landscape based on the Thames-side stretch of the capital adorned with modular structures with terraces and towers, colonnades and walkways.

As a place to explore, it offers up a fascinating alternative view of London, as if the city had been shaped by parametric design for decades, rather than the familiar, ad-hoc patterns of construction that define it. The combination of Unreal Engine’s sophisticated modelling tools and Fortnite’s bold, cartoonish graphics, comes together in an unusual collaboration with ramifications for how future buildings might be designed and presented.

Re:Imagine London can be experienced in Fortnite by searching 'Re:Imagine London' or '1442-4257-4418' in game
Create.Fortnite.com, Zaha-Hadid.com, Epic Games, Unreal Engine, AccuCities