In one of the more surprising moves in the games industry as of late, Epic Games and Disney have officially cemented their relationship and are collaborating to create “expansive and open games” built and hosted within Fortnite.
Officially announced in February 2024, The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games are collaborating on developing new games and ‘entertainment universes’ to bring Disney’s IP and experiences to a whole new level.
So fans of both Fortnite and Disney have a lot to expect over the next few months since the project is slated to launch “soon-ish”. Today, we’ll unpack and go over what the brand-new project entails, what we can expect, and some final thoughts on the possibly game-changing metaverse that’s in the works.
And yes, they really said “soon-ish”.
So if you’re diving back into Fortnite to ride the hype train with the new content coming to the game, check out U7BUY to find Fortnite accounts with plenty of rares skins and a bunch more limited-edition collectibles!
That said, let’s get straight into the breakdown!
What We Know About the Fortnite x Disney Partnership So Far
Alongside the news of the partnership and multi-year project, Disney also invested $1.5 billion in return for a 9% equity stake in Epic Games. This means that Disney is now more involved than ever in Epic Games and Fortnite.
The multi-year project will ‘offer opportunities’ for fans of Disney to ‘play, watch, shop, and engage’ with a variety of Disney’s most popular content and universes. Some of these franchises include Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Avatar, Pixar, and more.
And if you were curious, all of this is being done in Unreal Engine, so it’s something that Disney is already familiar with. Games like Kingdom Hearts 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor were developed with Unreal Engine, as well as over 15 Disney Park attractions.
Speaking on the collaboration, Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company says;
“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,”.
With this, we can expect quite a lot in terms of content, and new ways to interact and engage with your favorite characters and stories under the Disney umbrella, both in Fortnite and potential standalone games.
Disney’s Previous Gaming Endeavors
You’d be surprised to learn that Disney is no stranger to video games.
And ever since they shifted to the licensing business model, it’s been skyrocketing. One of the biggest success stories out of the Disney franchise is the Marvel’s Spider-Man series.
Disney also has a hand in the mobile games space where they’ve mentioned that their library of mobile games has amassed “1.5 billion global installs” and that 9 of their games franchises have brought in over $1 billion in sales.
What this means is Disney is getting serious about the games industry, and this partnership with Epic Games is just a first step into broadening its horizons and potentially taking over with a slew of titles and content.
Previous Disney x Fortnite Collabs
If you’ve been around the Fortnite space for a while now, you’ll know that Disney is no stranger to the popular battle royale game. Some of Disney’s franchises have already made their presence known in the game.
Their previous collaborations include Avengers: Infinity War with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, Guardians of the Galaxy, Galactus Nexus War, and many more Marvel collabs, Wreck-it Ralph, Star Wars, etc.
While the previous collabs have mostly been exclusive to character skins, limited-time game modes, and minor aesthetic changes, this new partnership should entail a more fully-fledged Disney x Fortnite project of the like we haven’t seen before.
One great example of such a massive project is Lego Fortnite which was released late last year in 2023. Lego Fortnite was an entirely separate and unique game mode that focused on developing the ‘survival’ and world-building aspects of the game.
Since Fortnite’s base game was all about building incredibly jaw-breaking structures that pivoted to the battle royale genre, it’s no surprise that collaborating with one of the most recognizable buildable toy companies in the world, Lego, was a smash hit.
Lego Fortnite is completely free to play and you can select it in the Fortnite game itself as a separate game mode.
It had nothing to do with the usual battle royale gameplay mode and thrived as players could come to Fortnite with a brand new experience that shifted away from sweaty PvP battles to relaxing (almost) and imaginative Minecraft-esque gameplay.
But with everything there is to be excited about, there are some serious potential drawbacks we have to consider before jumping aboard the hype train.
What Could Go Wrong
Well, a lot, frankly.
Disney has a reputation for tightly controlling its intellectual property which is a potential conflict with other brands and companies outside of the Disney umbrella of franchises. This could put constraints on non-Disney collaborations in the future, which would dampen the experience of crossovers fans have come to expect and enjoy.
Plus, the integration of Disney content into Fortnite could alter the game’s atmosphere and core gameplay. Players may experience an influx of Disney-related ads, promotional events, and exclusive content that may overshadow the original Fortnite experience.
This shift could alienate players who prefer the game’s current style and themes.
And not to mention monetization and microtransactions which could amplify greatly with Disney’s newfound project. Players could feel pressured to invest in in-game Disney franchise purchases or get tired of excessive commercialization within the game.
Exclusivity could be a big problem that divides fans from the beloved battle royale game, but for now, only time will tell what the Disney x Epic Games has in store for players.
That said, it’s not wrong to be excited about the potential of this new project and hopefully, Epic Games brings a variety of brand-new experiences for fans of both Disney and Fortnite to enjoy.
But if you’re heading back into Fortnite for a flashy Victory Royale now, check out https://www.u7buy.com/fortnite/fortnite-top-up to get the latest swag!