Video Game Designer

I never thought I’d ever be able to make a video game. So after I learned Unreal Engine, I made a video game in Fortnite.

Aeropunkz is a WW1 / steampunk themed battle royale in the air (kinda like multiplayer starfox) but with puzzler / platformer elements to keep you in the game after you’ve been shot down, making extensive use of Fortnite’s parachute mechanic. Gameplay teaser trailers below and BTS screenshots of the process after.

Go play it here!

Screenshot of a gaming platform showing Aeropunkz as the most visited game with 1,683 total lifetime plays.
A dark background featuring a brown skull wearing a military helmet and goggles. Large text at the top reads 'AEROPUNKZ,' and smaller text at the bottom says 'Created in Fortnite.'

The Making Of

I really wanted to integrate the horrors of trench warfare into the game once players get shot down, but since the game map needed to be a battle royale arena, having two trenches across from each other didn’t make any since.

My solve? Create a trench maze crawling with machine gun wielding henchmen, and at the center of the maze, a zipline that allows players to work their way back into the clouds to fight on.

A black and white maze with an arrow at the bottom right corner and a smaller arrow pointing up in the center.
3D digital model of a terrain with a labyrinth layout, viewed from above, and a hot air balloon floating above it, set against a blue sky background.

After roughing out the shape of the maze, I spent copious amounts of time building in all of the world detail.

A 3D digital rendering of a construction site with wooden pallets, ladders, crates, and equipment on a textured, reddish-brown ground, with a distant landscape of rolling hills under a blue sky.
A digital 3D rendering of a bridge over water, with sandbag barriers on either side, set in a landscape with railroad tracks in the background.
3D modeled airship with a wooden and metal structure floating above a platform with snow-covered terrain against a blue sky.
A digital 3D rendering of a wooden platform and staircase suspended in the air above a terrain of mountains and valleys, with a pink and purple sky in the background, resembling a scene from a video game or simulation.

You get the idea… anyway after all of the worldbuilding, I started adding custom NPCs into the game which is SUPER fun, creating their backstories, etc.

The workflow I used was generating the characters in Midjourney, then using AI (Kaedim) to convert them into 3D assets, then breaking them down in Blender into seperate meshes, and rigging them in AccuRig - a really good AI rigger.

Stylized 3D model of a dog wearing military gear, including a coat, boots, goggles on its head, and a satchel on its side.
A futuristic, rounded helmet with colorful spikes protruding from it, resembling a spiked ball. The helmet has a smooth surface with various small details and a strap hanging from the side.
Colorful 3D model of a gas mask with two large circular eye openings and a filter canister.
A 3D digital model of a character wearing a helmet with spikes, a gas mask, a long coat, tactical pouches, and boots, standing on a gray background.
A 3D character model resembling a humanoid with a bird-like skull face, standing outdoors on a gray platform, with arms extended outward. The character wears black clothing and gloves, with a black belt, and has visible bone and joint structures. The background shows a blurred outdoor scene with trees and parked cars.
Video game screenshot showing a female character facing a soldier with a large gun in a barren landscape during sunset, with game UI elements including a minimap, mission objective, and health bar.
A 3D model of a person in a vintage dress with an orange sleeve, displayed in Blender software with a wireframe overlay.
A computer-generated image displaying two stylized characters in unique costumes standing on a flat surface under a clear blue sky with an ocean horizon in the background.
A digital character wearing a brown military-style coat and boots, standing in an empty, open, flat area with a clear blue sky, with arms outstretched to the sides.
3D model of a woman dressed in a jacket with shoulder epaulets and a collared shirt, displayed in a 3D modeling software interface.
A 3D character model of a fantasy warrior in armor, standing in a desert landscape with clouds in the sky, being edited in a 3D modeling software interface.

But tbh, the most fun part about the project has been watching complete strangers actually find it and play it!