Disney Invests $1.5 Billion Into Fortnite Maker Epic Video games

Disney is making its greatest push but into video video games. On February 7, the Mouse Home and Fortnite creator Epic Video games introduced plans to create new video games and an leisure universe the place customers can “play, watch, store and have interaction with content material, characters and tales from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and extra,” firm representatives stated in a press launch.

“Our thrilling new relationship with Epic Video games will deliver collectively Disney’s beloved manufacturers and franchises with the massively in style Fortnite in a transformational new video games and leisure universe,” stated Disney CEO Robert Iger. “This marks Disney’s greatest entry ever into the world of video games and presents important alternatives for progress and enlargement. We will’t look ahead to followers to expertise the Disney tales and worlds they love in groundbreaking new methods.”

“Disney was one of many first firms to consider within the potential of bringing their worlds along with ours in Fortnite, and so they use Unreal Engine throughout their portfolio,” stated Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. “Now we’re collaborating on one thing solely new to construct a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that can deliver collectively the Disney and Fortnite communities.”

This isn’t the primary time Disney and Epic have collaborated. Fortnite has hosted a number of Star Wars-themed occasions through the years, together with final 12 months’s Discover the Pressure occasion honoring the Prequel Trilogy. Again in 2020, Fortnite’s Nexus Battle with Galactus occasion primarily based within the Marvel universe drew greater than 15.3 million concurrent gamers, based on the press launch asserting the deal.

Whereas it’s tempting to consider Disney as primarily a producer of flicks, TV, and Child Yoda merch, it’s had a finger within the gaming pie for a while. This little nugget from the press launch shocked me a bit of. “Licensed video games from Disney garnered greater than 150 award nominations, wins and different accolades in 2023, together with a number of Sport of the 12 months nominations for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Disney cell video games have 1.5 billion international installs, and to this point, 9 Disney video games franchises have every grossed greater than $1 billion in gross sales.” Who knew?

Anyway, congratulations to each these desperately cash-strapped firms who so sorely wanted an opportunity to earn more money.