Disney is making big moves into the gaming industry as it recently invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games for the creation of a ‘connected universe’ to Fortnite. The investment would insure that The Walt DIsney Company acquires a massive equity stake in Epic Games. Disney provided details about what this unexpected partnership will entail, especially surrounding the creation of this new universe.
Disney and Epic Games will partner to create an “all-new games and entertainment universe” connected to Fortnite, though the details surrounding this venture make it sound an awful lot like a Metaverse concept. Disney stated that “the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger released a statement saying:
“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe. This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney added:
“Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio. Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”
Disney and Epic Games have already collaborated a few times in the past with Fortnite skins and events from IPs such as Marvel, Star Wars and more being featured in the game’s previous seasons. This new billion-dollar investment is a big step forward and one that might give Fortnite access to Disney properties that were never featured in the game before.
Watch the announcement trailer below:
Source: Video Games Chronicle
