Disney Invests $1.5 Billion Into Fortnite Maker Epic Video games

Disney is making its largest 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 shoppers can “play, watch, store and interact with content material, characters and tales from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and extra,” firm representatives mentioned in a press launch.

“Our thrilling new relationship with Epic Video games will carry collectively Disney’s beloved manufacturers and franchises with the massively well-liked Fortnite in a transformational new video games and leisure universe,” mentioned Disney CEO Robert Iger. “This marks Disney’s largest entry ever into the world of video games and provides vital alternatives for development and growth. We will’t watch for followers to expertise the Disney tales and worlds they love in groundbreaking new methods.”

“Disney was one of many first corporations to imagine within the potential of bringing their worlds along with ours in Fortnite, they usually use Unreal Engine throughout their portfolio,” mentioned Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. “Now we’re collaborating on one thing completely new to construct a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that may carry 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 Power occasion honoring the Prequel Trilogy. Again in 2020, Fortnite’s Nexus Conflict with Galactus occasion based mostly within the Marvel universe drew greater than 15.3 million concurrent gamers, based on the press launch saying the deal.

Whereas it’s tempting to think about 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 little bit. “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 Yr 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 corporations who so sorely wanted an opportunity to earn more money.