Disney to invest $1.5 billion in Fortnite maker Epic Games to create a new universe

Disney says players will soon be able to play, shop, watch and engage with content, stories and characters from franchises like Avatar, Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars in Fortnite.

We might soon see Disney characters in Fortnite (Image Source: The Walt Disney Company)

Disney yesterday announced that it will be investing $1.5 billion in an equity stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games. According to Disney, the two companies will collaborate to create “all-new games and entertainment universe.”

The Walt Disney Company also announced that these experiences will be “interoperating with Fortnite” and enable users to experience a new persistent universe where people will be able to play, shop, watch and engage with content, stories and characters from the Disney franchises like Avatar, Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.

While Disney has largely remained a licensor in the last few years, the company’s direct investment marks its biggest venture in the gaming world. However, this is not the first time the entertainment giant has collaborated with Epic Games. In 2020, Fortnite hosted a Marvel-themed season in the battle royale mode.

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Powered by Unreal Engine, a blog post on The Walt Disney Company website says that players and fans will be able to make their very own stories and experiences and share them with others. Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said that the partnership will help them bring together Fortnite and Disney communities, but did not share any details any concrete information on what to expect.

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Disney is already using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to make games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Kingdom Hearts 3 as well as cinematic editing and animations for films and shows like The Lion King and The Mandalorian.

In 2016, when Disney started licensing its IP to other game makers, the company’s gaming business delivered strong profits, with games like Marvel’s Spider-Man getting nominated for more than 150 awards. On the mobile front, Disney says its games have a total of more than 1.5 billion installs globally, with nine franchises grossing more than $1 billion in sales.

The move sounds similar to Sony’s recent $2 billion investment in Fortnite, which resulted in the launch of the Lego Fortnite mode. While it is still unclear if Fortnite will introduce Disney-themed characters or if a new Lego-like game mode is in the works, Epic Games recently announced a new Mandalorian-themed update for Rocket League.