Lego Fortnite, introduced just two months ago, pales in comparison to the latest collaboration by Epic Games.
Epic Games and Disney have revealed their partnership in creating a new “games and entertainment universe” that aims to bring characters from Disney’s extensive library to life within Fortnite.
The scope of the project is described as massive, with the companies planning to bring characters and storylines from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar to players through an all-new interactive universe. The collaboration will utilize Epic’s Unreal Engine and will be intertwined with Fortnite, leveraging Epic’s existing online social gaming infrastructure.
Disney CEO Bob Iger commented, “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion,” regarding the partnership. Disney will also be acquiring a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games as part of the deal.
The partnership with Disney comes as a surprise, but aligns with Epic’s current strategy. Epic has been rapidly broadening its horizons in recent years. Initially a popular battle royale game, it has evolved into a platform for user-generated game modes and brand partnerships.
In December, Epic demonstrated its commitment to expanding Fortnite beyond its origins as a multiplayer shooter by introducing Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival —three standalone games in completely different genres from the original Fortnite.
The release date for this project has not been disclosed, hinting that players won’t have to wait too long for this ambitious collaboration, which stemmed from Epic’s participation in a Disney Accelerator program back in 2017. Disney and Epic already have a close working relationship, with many popular characters from Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe available as collectible in-game skins within Fortnite.
