Disney x Fortnite – Disney plans to create an expansive universe within Fortnite featuring Star Wars, Marvel, Avatar, and more…
The biggest DISNEY x FORTNITE collaboration of all time has arrived. The House of Mouse has officially purchased a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games and plans to develop a new expansive, open, persistent, and social universe. This new virtual Disneyworld will let fans “play, watch, shop, and engage” with their favorite characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.
The news emerged during Disney’s Q1 FY24 Earnings Call and changed the landscape of gaming. The company will create the new universe using the Unreal Engine allowing players to “create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love.”
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
“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,” said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “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.”
“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,” said Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder, Epic Games. “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.”
A GALAXY OF WONDERS
The new virtual world will most probably work similarly to the new LEGO and Rocket Racing platforms. Secondary platforms that exist alongside Fortnite but allow you to use your characters across them all.
What’s more, the collaboration will reward fans with all-new skins for the IPs they love. Fortnite has already confirmed that Avatar will feature heavily in the early releases. And with both Marvel and Star Wars already boasting a plethora of characters in the game, fans should expect the floodgates to open in abundance. Additionally, Pixar and the classic Disney vault will be opened to allow fans to enjoy playing as their favorite characters in a wide range of activities.
As of press time, neither Fortnite nor Disney have committed to a launch timeline. However, the trailer does confirm that the platform will be arriving “soon-ish” so expect the character roll-out to begin very soon. The deal is reported to be a multi-year project, so expect the Disney takeover to be here for decades to come.
Are you excited about Disney’s investment in Epic Games? Sound off in the comments below. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some victims to attend to. See you on the map!
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
