If you are a Fortnite fan who loves Disney, sit down as we dive deep into one of the year’s biggest announcements in the entertainment and video game industry. Unlike 2020’s limited-time content collaboration for the Marvel Nexus War event in Fortnite, Disney has now invested a gigantic capital in Epic Games. As a result, we witness the formation of a new metaverse where Fortnite now exists alongside the fictional universe of Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise.
In the words of Robert A. Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, this “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.”
The implications of a grand partnership like this will likely result in Fortnite being a consistent platform to have new experiences involving your favourite Disney, Marvel and Star Wars characters, the glimpses of which have been successfully portrayed by this video game.
As for Epic Games, it could open new pathways to let Fortnite evolve into a bigger project globally, expanding its fanbase over the next few years.
What other opportunities does this billion-dollar deal between Disney and Epic Games open for Fortnite and all the popular Disney sub-brands? Let’s find out.
Disney x Epic Games deal: What does it mean for ‘Fortnite’?
To explain it simply, Disney will invest a sum of USD 1.5 billion in an Equity Stake in Epic Games alongside a multiyear content partnership deal. Note that the deal is yet to take place and is subject to regulatory approvals.
This new content deal will see Disney and Epic Games collaborating on new video games and entertainment products that will be stacked in a new metaverse, consisting of characters, experiences and stories from Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. Fortnite will also be another part of this metaverse that could likely see limited-time Disney-themed content coming to the game.
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As Disney phrases it, this new persistent universe will offer lots of opportunities to play, watch, shop and engage with its popular characters, stories and content from its countless creations. The idea is to let players create their own experiences with their favourite Disney content and share it with the world.
Of course, all of the new content under this collaboration will be based on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, which has been previously seen in action on other Disney properties.
Will ‘Fortnite’ now be a Disney property?
No, despite a Disney x Epic Games deal, Fortnite continues to be an Epic Games property and will likely be so for the foreseeable future. However, with the content collaboration deal in place, you could see a lot more Disney content showing up on Fortnite, as made evident by this short teaser video giving us a glimpse of Fortnite’s future content plans. It even hosts a reference to an upcoming collaboration that involves Disney’s Cars and Rocket League.
Have a look.
Speaking of Rocket League, curious gamers may have observed another announcement regarding a limited-time event involving Rocket League, another popular video game title under Epic Games’ Psyonix, and Disney’s Mandalorian on the sidelines of this mega announcement.
Hence, it won’t be surprising to see future seasons of Fortnite bringing beloved Marvel characters as playable skins. Will we see Deadpool, Iron Man and Hulk taking on each other? Or Disney’s Winnie The Pooh fighting with specialised honey-themed gear on the battlefields of Fortnite? More Nexus events themed after Star Wars characters and spaceships?
Only time will tell.
(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Epic Games)
