- Disney invests $1.5B in Epic Games for entertainment metaverse.
- The collaboration aims to create a persistent and interconnected Disney-themed metaverse.
- Epic partnership could fundamentally change how fans experience Disney IP.
The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday a massive $1.5 billion equity investment in leading video game developer Epic Games, the creator of the hugely popular online game Fortnite.
The move signals Disney’s intention to dive headfirst into the “metaverse” space by partnering with Epic to build an expansive digital world that will connect Disney characters and stories from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more.
Creating a Disney-themed Metaverse
“This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger in a statement.
Epic’s popular game creation tools like Unreal Engine and its massive Fortnite gaming community made it an ideal partner for Disney to bring its iconic characters into new digital entertainment formats.
The collaboration aims to create a persistent and interconnected Disney-themed metaverse that will allow players not just to play games but also to watch movies, shop for merchandise, and interact with other fans.
Future of online entertainment
While few details were given on exactly how this new Disney/Epic digital world will function, the companies said it will be “interoperable” with Fortnite. This likely means players’ Fortnite avatars will be able to traverse between Fortnite and the forthcoming Disney metaverse.
The project also builds on existing collaborations between the companies, including Star Wars and Marvel character skins in Fortnite and joint promotions. The ambitious undertaking does not yet have a release date but was described as coming “soon(ish).”
Disney’s treasure trove of intellectual property and Epic’s metaverse-building chops, the companies certainly have the potential to create a new form of interactive online entertainment.
What exactly this will look like remains to be seen, but it could fundamentally alter how fans experience their favorite Disney stories.
