The Walt Disney Company has made a $1.5 billion investment to secure an equity stake in Epic Games, marking the start of a major multi-year project between the two companies.
Disney’s goal is to create a new “games and entertainment universe” that will allow consumers to engage with content, characters, and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and other franchises through playing, watching, and shopping. The new content will be developed using Unreal Engine and will be designed to “interoperate” with Epic’s popular title Fortnite.
Disney’s CEO, Robert Iger, has referred to this investment as the company’s “biggest entry ever into the world of games.”
In addition to this partnership, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has expressed excitement about collaborating with Disney to create a transformative new games and entertainment universe. This collaboration aims to combine Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the expansive Fortnite community.
Disney and Epic Games have a history of working together, with previous collaborations in Fortnite featuring licensed Marvel and Star Wars content. The investment from Disney follows similar ones from Sony and LEGO, which invested $1 billion each in Epic Games in April 2022.
Overall, this new venture signifies a significant move in the gaming and entertainment industry, bringing together two major players to create innovative and engaging experiences for fans.
