Disney Is Investing $1.5 Billion In Epic Games

Disney has announced that it has invested a whopping $1.5 billion into Fortnite creator Epic Games as part of an effort to create a "new persistent universe".

First reported by CNBC, Disney states that it is working with Epic Games to bring the company's beloved brands to Fortnite as part of a new universe that will include places to "play, watch, shop and engage" with characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar. Basically, imagine what Disneyland is right now, cram it into Fortnite, and that's essentially what Epic and Disney are working towards.

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We don't know what Epic and Disney's vision for this universe will look like, but we can imagine it's going to be pretty ambitious if Disney is willing to make such a large investment. It's possible there could be a separate mode for Fortnite that is solely focused on this world, similar to the survival game that was made in collaboration with Lego which released last year, though we're getting into speculation at this point.

“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe," - Disney CEO Bob Iger

However, it is a very clear sign that Epic Games is no longer content with Fortnite remaining just a video game, as CEO Tim Sweeney has stated his desire in the past to turn the title into more of a social, Metaverse-esque platform. Shoving what is essentially Disneyland into Fortnite as a place where players can socialize, interact with brands, and shop around is a big step towards achieving that goal, especially with the backing of a financial and cultural powerhouse like Disney.

Neither Disney nor Epic gives a timeframe as to when we can expect this new partnership to bear fruit, instead teasing that it will come "soon(ish)" in a trailer that was uploaded to Twitter shortly after the news of the investment was made public.

For now, we have another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fortnite crossover to look forward to, as we recently god our first in-game looks at upcoming skins for Shredder and Splinter. We still don't know when we'll be able to start playing as them just yet, but the same person that leaked the in-game models has also uncovered a work-in-progress Event Pass, suggesting it'll be pretty soon.

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