Disney buys stake in Epic Games for $1.5 billion, plans new gaming universe with Fortnite

The Walt Disney Company has announced a partnership with Epic Games in which the mouse house will buy a $1.5 billion stake in the Fortnite maker.

As detailed in Disney’s announcement, the multi-year project will take the form of a “new continuous universe” connected to Fortnite that will give Disney fans the ability to “play, watch, buy and interact with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar”, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. »

According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the joint venture “marks Disney’s largest entry into the world of video games and provides significant opportunities for growth and expansion.” In the words of Mickey Mouse, “Oh God! »

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the relationship will lead to a “continuous, open and interoperable ecosystem that brings the Disney and Fortnite communities together.”

Epic adventures ahead

Using the Unreal Engine, the new universe will give Disney fans the tools to “express their fandom in ways different from Disney” and “create their own stories and experiences” to share with other members of the online community.

The move is expected to take the already strong relationship between Disney and Epic to greater heights, with the previous Disney-themed content integration attracting more than 15.3 million concurrent players.

Disney and Epic are already teasing some of the exciting things to come – the accompanying trailer gives a glimpse of iconic characters like Indiana Jones, Darth Vader, Deadpool, Elsa, Lightning McQueen and more as they prepare to venture into the new universe. You can check out the trailer below.

The announcement coincides with The Walt Disney Company’s recent quarterly earnings call, during which Moana 2, a new EPSN streaming platform and more were announced.