The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games are teaming up to create an entirely fresh gaming and entertainment universe, extending the enchanting world of beloved Disney tales and adventures.
Disney is set to make a $1.5 billion investment to acquire a stake in Epic Games as part of this multiyear venture, pending customary closing procedures, including regulatory clearances.
This innovative collaboration will not only deliver an exceptional gaming experience but will also integrate seamlessly with Fortnite.
The newly envisioned persistent universe promises a plethora of opportunities for audiences to immerse themselves in playing, watching, shopping, and interacting with content, characters, and narratives from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and beyond.
Players, gamers, and enthusiasts alike will have the freedom to craft their own narratives and encounters, express their passion for Disney in a unique manner, and exchange content with fellow fans in ways that resonate with them. All of this will be made possible through the cutting-edge capabilities of Unreal Engine.
“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,” Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement.
“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.”
Games Industry Growth & Disney Games Success
The digital world is growing and evolving with more than 3 billion video game players worldwide who want to move safely and seamlessly between the worlds they love, unleash their own creativity, and experience great gameplay.
Disney’s games business continues to deliver strong results since it shifted to a licensing business model in 2016. Disney is a leading games licensor working with best-in-class developers and publishers, including on the best-selling superhero game of all-time, Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Licensed games from Disney garnered more than 150 award nominations, wins and other accolades in 2023, including multiple Game of the Year nominations for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Disney mobile games have 1.5 billion global installs, and to date, nine Disney games franchises have each grossed more than $1 billion in sales. In the U.S., the world’s largest games market, licensed titles from Disney regularly hit the annual top-10 best-sellers list.
“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.”
