Disney and Epic Games Are Working on a ‘Games and Entertainment Universe’ That's Connected to Fortnite
Disney will invest $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic.
Proving that the metaverse is here to stay, Disney announced it’s collaborating with Fortnite maker Epic Games on a “games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite” that will allow fans to interact with Disney-related content in a variety of ways.
In a statement, Disney said the “persistent universe” will allow fans “to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.” The experience will be powered by Unreal Engine.
As of this writing, no release date has been announced for the project.
Disney will also make a $1.5 billion investment to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games.
In an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO, Bob Iger, said Disney’s investment is “probably our biggest foray into the game space ever.”
Iger added:
"Which I think is not only timely, but an important step when you look at the demographic trends and where Gen Alpha and Gen Z and even millennials are spending their time and media.”
Disney has a rich history of supporting the metaverse, and especially Fortnite, which has featured a variety of Disney-related brands in its in-game content. For instance, the “Nexus War” update in 2020 brought a variety of Marvel superheroes and villains to Fortnite.
Epic is also no stranger to hosting entertainment content on its Fortnite gaming platform. For example, Fortnite has previously hosted concerts with musicians like Travis Scott and Marshmello, among others.
We’ll bring you more details about Disney and Epic’s new universe as they’re revealed.