This is the moment I’ve been waiting for since I first read Neil Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” as a teenager.
Disney has announced that they have purchased a $1.5 billion dollar equity stake in Epic Games, maker of Fortnite.
The news was shared during Disney’s Q1 earnings call, when they announced they would be building this immersive experience with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
No need to worry about this new platform replacing the existing Fortnite. That’s not the case at all.
Together with Epic Games, Disney will be “developing a new expansive, open, persistent, and social universe that will “interoperate” with Fortnite and let fans “play, watch, shop, and engage” with their favorite characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.” according to an article on IGN.
According to a statement by Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, “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.”
When Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder of Epic Games was asked for comment he said “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.”
No details about the timeline for the development and launch of this project, but we’re obviously talking about a multi-year endeavor the scale of which we’ve never seen before.
“This new experience will most likely work in a similar fashion to LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival, in that they exist within Fortnite but are separate games that you launch from the game itself.” according to IGN.
As a huge fan all-things Disney, and noob player of Fortnite, I couldn’t be more excited about this news!
Disney Buys $1.5 Billion Stake in Epic Games to Create ‘Expansive’ Universe Within Fortnite