Disney with its huge gallery of characters on one hand, Fortnite with Epic Games on the other and its impressive community connected to the game every day.. The two entertainment giants came together around a project that began several years ago when Disney took a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games.
The aim will be to create a Disney World continuous with its famous franchises from Star Wars to Marvel connected to the universe of Fortnite. It can be compared to the world of LEGO that has been transported with Fortnite. You can walk around, play, create, but also buy and share content.
There weren’t many more concrete details in the announcement, but Disney boss Bob Iger yesterday explained the motivations and issues behind the deal. During his return to the helm of Disney in 2022, and reviewing the group’s activities, Iger said he was surprised to learn how much time Gen Z (ages 14-27) spends in front of video games. , after Gen Alpha (Generation)) and also Gen Y (25-35 years old, or A thousand years):
It was surprising to me, the amount of time they spend watching TV and movies. And the conclusion I came to is that we need to be there, and we need to get there as soon as possible, very convincingly.
Disney and Epic Games already knew each other, with the former’s characters already appearing in Fortnite and Epic Games seeing its 3D engine used in certain games or activities at Disney’s theme parks. Bogue Iger and his counterpart at Epic Games then discussed the creation of a massive Disney World set next to Fortnite, which is attached to it.
Participants can play a day, make videos, buy virtual and possibly physical goods, Iger explains. He sees this investment in Fortnite as a more risk-free operation for his group, as the foundation of this gaming platform is strong: “ As we see it, it’s the best of both worlds in many ways from a business performance standpoint, and certainly ideal for consumers who already enjoy interacting with our characters in a video game format. “
