Epic Mickey's original director, Warren Spector, assisted in the development of Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, as confirmed by a press release that went live after the game's announcement.
Disney takes a $1.5B stake in Epic Games to build an ‘entertainment universe’ with Fortnite
09.02.2024 - 10:47 / techcrunch.com / Bob Iger / Tim Sweeney
Lego Fortnite is only two months old, but Epic Games is already out with an even bigger collaboration.
Epic and Disney announced today that the companies will partner on an “all-new games and entertainment universe” that will bring characters from Disney’s deep catalogue to life through a tie-in with Fortnite. Disney will take a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games as part of the deal.
The scope of the project sounds massive, to say the least. In a press release, the companies described the forthcoming project as “an all-new games and entertainment universe” offering players a way to “play, watch, shop and engage with” characters and storylines from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and others. The collaboration will use Epic’s Unreal Engine and plans to be “interoperable” with Fortnite, tying into Epic’s existing online social gaming infrastructure.
“This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said of the partnership, which apparently grew out of Epic’s time in a Disney Accelerator program back in 2017.
The Disney collaboration comes as a surprise, but fits right into Epic’s current roadmap. The company dramatically widened Fortnite’s scope in recent years, and what began as a popular battle royale game (technically a player-versus-environment game before that) has exploded into a hub of user-generated game modes and brand collaborations.
“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,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said in the announcement. “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.”
In December, Epic further signaled its commitment to expand Fortnite beyond its roots as a multiplayer shooter with the addition of Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival — three full stand-alone games in completely different genres than the original Fortnite. On the Disney side of things, a deep partnership and large investment will open up Epic’s refined toolkit for creating online social worlds where many people can build and play together at once.
Epic’s lucrative Fortnite store, where players can buy in-game outfits known as skins along with dance moves and emotes, also offers valuable infrastructure for what could be a limitless digital shopping mall stocked with goods inspired by Disney’s beloved characters. Disney and Epic also already work closely on brand collaborations within Fortnite and many popular characters from Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
radiotimes.com
20.02.2024 / 12:57
Disney Fortnite deal explained: What does this Epic team-up mean?
Fortnite is known for its crossovers. From Spongebob to Resident Evil, many a famous face from disparate media has made an appearance in the battle royale behemoth.
techradar.com
19.02.2024 / 12:55
Epic Games Store coming to iOS in Europe thanks to new EU law
The Epic Games Store will be coming to iOS in Europe thanks to provisions in the European Union (EU)'s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
gamerant.com
17.02.2024 / 13:33
Epic Games Store Replaces Fallout Titles with Different February 22 Free Game
Epic Games Store has quietly scrapped the plans to give away three classic Fallout titles over a seven-day period starting February 22, opting instead to extend that offer to Super Meat Boy Forever. Such last-minute free game lineup changes are highly unusual for Epic Games Store.
wccftech.com
17.02.2024 / 02:13
Epic Games Store Users Grow in 2023 Thanks to Fortnite, but Third-Party Sales Dwindle
The Epic Games Store officially turned 5 years old in December, and while some of the fiery debate surrounding the storefront has died down, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a success yet. As part of their lawsuit against Google, Epic admitted the EGS still isn’t profitable and now they’ve released their 2023 Year in Review stats, which they obviously try to spin in a positive way, but don’t really look that promising.
eurogamer.net
16.02.2024 / 16:51
Epic secures iOS developer account, Europe mobile store and Fortnite launch this year
Epic Games will begin developing a mobile version of the Epic Games Store for launch on iOS in Europe, the company has said, now it has officially received an Apple Developer Account.
wegotthiscovered.com
13.02.2024 / 10:23
What is the Disney x Epic Games collaboration and when will it arrive?
If you didn’t already think Disney was taking over the world, their latest announcement alongside Epic Games should terrify you.
pushsquare.com
12.02.2024 / 23:59
Disney Secures $1.5 Billion Stake in Epic Games, Plans 'Entertainment Universe' in Fortnite | Push Square
Hellbent on harvesting your nostalgia forever, megacorp Disney has purchased a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, teaming up to create a persistent, social universe within Fortnite. It sounds wildly ambitious and more than a little dystopian, allowing fans to «play, watch, shop, and engage» with their favourite Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters and bringing us one step closer to the future promised in Ready Player One.
ign.com
12.02.2024 / 13:25
Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies Calls Heavily Rumored Fortnite Collaboration ‘A Complete Myth’
The boss of Doctor Who has moved to debunk various rumors that indicated the popular show would soon launch a collaboration with Fortnite.
tech.hindustantimes.com
10.02.2024 / 05:01
In gamechanger move, Walt Disney harnesses AI to stream ads that fit the mood of specific scenes
Walt Disney is harnessing artificial intelligence to power a new advertising tool that will help brands tailor their commercials to fit the mood of specific scenes within a movie or television series.
rockpapershotgun.com
09.02.2024 / 18:25
Disney buy $1.5 billion stake in Fortnite publisher Epic, announce new "games and entertainment universe"
Disney are taking out a $1.5 billion minority equity stake in Fortnite publisher Epic Games, and have announced "an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences". According to Disney CEO Robert A. Iger, it's "Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games". Friends, we are witnessing the birth of a franchising megamoeba of titanic proportions - a new, Unreal Engine-driven "persistent universe" of playing, watching, shopping and other content-tickling opportunities, featuring characters and stories from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar "and more". Where are your puny gods now?
eurogamer.net
09.02.2024 / 16:18
Disney acquires $1.5bn stake in Epic Games, is partnering on "games and entertainment universe" in Fortnite
The Walt Disney Company has announced it's acquiring a $1.5bn USD stake in Epic Games as it launches a multi-year partnership to create an «expansive and open games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite».