Disney is taking a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games and the two will collaborate on a games and entertainment universe that will “interoperate” with Fortnite and allow users to “play, watch, shop and engage” with characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.
The companies didn’t discuss timelines for the “multi-year project,” which will allow fans to “create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love.”
“This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion,” said Disney CEO Robert Iger. “We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”
Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games, noted that “Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio.” He added that this collaboration is “something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”
