Fortnite is often home to big crossovers, usually promoted with the headline of Property X Fortnite! This time, however, Epic Games has unveiled a completely different type of collaboration. A huge Disney X Epic Games investment and partnership has been announced. Furthermore, as a part of this, Disney is investing $1.5 billion into Epic Games.
Did Disney buy Fortnite? In short, no. The news has some fans assuming that the Battle Royale will see some major changes. However, the current investment follows similar stories where companies like Tencent, Sony, and others have invested in Epic Games. It’s more of an extension of their already existing relationship, but in Fortnite and in Disney’s own productions.
The two companies are no strangers. Fortnite already features Disney’s content heavily. That’s along with Epic’s growing work on the production side of TV and film powering some of Disney’s landmark projects. This new round of investment will ensure a closer relationship, though. What does it mean for Epic’s future projects and Fortnite?
Source: Disney, Epic Games
Disney X Epic Games – New Collaboration to Expand Partnership
Disney, for quite a while now, has been a significant partner for Epic Games. They’ve stepped that partnership up this week by announcing that they’ve invested $1.5 billion into the developer. This new partnership will see Disney take a more active role with the developer, becoming explicably tied to their fortunes. While we don’t expect Disney to be running Fortnite esports, equity in the company means their goals will be aligned.
The new collaboration has been explained by Disney as helping to grow a “consistent universe,” hinting toward Fortnite’s ambitious metaverse plans. This is specifically in relation to Fortnite, where they want to make new games and experiences from their properties like Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Avatar. Disney isn’t just targeting Fortnite, though, but wider projects using the Unreal Engine.
Disney has chosen not to take an active role in video games of their properties for some time now. The company has even shut down the popular and ground-breaking LucasArts development studio after acquiring Lucasfilm. It has instead preferred to charge other devs for use of their IP. For Epic, though, it’s been clear for a while that there was more cross-pollination happening than with most tie-ins.
Did Disney Buy Fortnite?
No! Disney has made an investment into Epic Games; they can’t buy the company outright. Since this news broke, some fans have jumped to conclusions. However, it won’t mean too many changes for Fortnite fans.
If you’re wondering whether Disney bought Fortnite, it isn’t quite that extreme. Disney has invested in Epic Games. Sony has made similarly sized investments in the past, as has Lego. This won’t affect Fortnite having other collabs, sticking to a tone that’s above the typical Disney age rating, or working with other companies. It might mean more Disney popping up in-game though.
More Disney Content Coming to Fortnite
Even before this new Disney X Epic Games collaboration, they’ve been a heavy feature. Nearly every Battle Pass for some time has featured Disney-owned properties. Often, right at the time that character or franchise needs a drop of promotion for its release. The item store is never far from a Disney-owned collab. They’ve even received Lego versions, something most Fortnite collabs have been left out of.
Epic Games for their part brings more than Fortnite to the table. The Unreal Engine is behind an impressive role in the production of film and TV. The Epic Games technology used on the Mandalorian has been an impressive showcase of how the engine has gone beyond just games.
This new Disney X Epic Games collaboration will likely see more of this collaborative work. However, the announcement so far also discusses the future. The language used seems to tie into Epic’s efforts to make Fortnite a platform. It’s reminiscent of Lego’s investments into Epic Games, which culminated not in Battle Royale but in the Fortnite Lego mode. With a tease for future games included here, it’s possible we’ll see Epic Games as the driving force for future Disney games, instead of just skins in Battle Royale.
