Summary
- Disney's partnership with Epic Games is a major step for the entertainment giant, marking its largest entry into the world of games.
- Epic Games has plans to create a metaverse within the Fortnite framework, transforming the game into a hub for various gaming and entertainment experiences.
- Fortnite could increase its crossover content from brands like Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and Pixar, thanks to the partnership with Disney.
Disney and Epic Games have announced a new landmark partnership, linking brands like Marvel and Pixar to Fortnite and the Unreal Engine. Epic Games has collaborated with other top brands in the past, but this new relationship with Disney appears to be far more robust and encompassing.
Epic Games has been transparent about its plans to create a metaverse within the Fortnite framework. The most common understanding of this concept is that Fortnite will serve as a hub for not only its massively popular battle royale multiplayer mode, but a number of different gaming and entertainment experiences. Examples of this more synergistic and multifaceted approach to Fortnite can be seen in the game's multiple virtual concerts and the more recent Fortnite Festival, which brought Harmonix's once-ubiquitous Rockband to the game. Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing are additional instances of Epic expanding Fortnite into more of a virtual world, rather than a traditional multiplayer game.
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Disney and Epic have issued a joint statement announcing a new partnership, further bolstering this metaverse initiative. Though Epic Games has collaborated with Disney-owned brands like Marvel and Star Wars through Fortnite skins and in-game events, the relationship between the two companies will now be more official, as Disney has invested $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic. Disney CEO Robert Iger describes this new partnership as the first step in creating "a transformational new games and entertainment universe." Iger also noted that "[investing in Epic Games] marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion."
Disney and Epic Games Partnership Announcement Video
Disney's considerable investment in Epic Games is a significant step for the entertainment conglomerate. Though Disney has licensed its IP for games like Kingdom Hearts and Marvel's Spider-Man, these projects have always been outsourced. With major entertainment companies like Netflix and Amazon investing heavily in internal game development, many have wondered when Disney would take a similar step, and although this partnership with Epic isn't the same as the company opening its own in-house studio, it's perhaps the most aggressive Disney has been when it comes to the games market.
[Investing in Epic Games] marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion.
Epic Games continues to transform Fortnite with new game modes and features, and it's likely that this transformation will become even more ambitious with the help of Disney. It's impossible to know exactly what this partnership will yield, but Fortnite fans can likely expect to see, at the very least, a significant increase in crossover content from brands like Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and Pixar.