Epic and Disney want to make ‘what every Disney fan has ever wanted’
In February, Disney and Epic Games announced a collaboration on a “persistent universe” featuring characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Disney franchises have appeared in Fortnite for years, but this new universe promises to be more ambitious — and will be interoperable with Fortnite.
Disney and Epic didn’t share many details about how this would work when it was announced. But after talking to Epic executives during Unreal Fest in Seattle, I’ve learned more about what to expect.
A lot of it comes down to connecting into Epic’s ecosystem. “Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we’ve built,” Epic Games EVP Saxs Persson says in an interview. “We see the power of ecosystems interoperating as being really the magic here. From a player perspective, you want to be able to flow between a Fortnite experience, a Disney experience, or any experience really.”
Persson says players will be able to come into the Disney universe “in the Disney front door or the Fortnite front door.” But they’ll connect to the same cosmetic “lockers” and social graph on the backend. “From a player perspective, it just feels seamless.” (What Persson describes sounds similar to how Lego Fortnite, a survival crafting game, ties into Fortnite.)
For Disney, teaming up with Epic makes sense. Many players already own outfits from Marvel and Star Wars in Fortnite, so if Disney built a Fortnite competitor, players might not want to move if they’re already invested in Epic’s ecosystem. Epic has also proved to be a good caretaker of Disney franchises in Fortnite. Plus, Disney cut its own metaverse division last year, and as part of this arrangement, invested $1.5 billion into Epic. If Epic succeeds, Disney will succeed too.
But the partnership doesn’t mean you’ll be able to run around the Fortnite battle royale island as Mickey Mouse with a gun. “Not every outfit will be able to do everything,” Persson says. “A [Lego] minifig doesn’t hold a gun. Brands should be able to enforce the brand guidelines to the degree they’re comfortable with that brand being associated with particular ratings.”
Disney understands that different franchises suit different experiences, Persson says. “Some IPs are not teen IPs or mature IPs. They are E for everyone IPs.” That’s why many Disney-owned characters can wield a gun in Fortnite. Most are from Marvel and Star Wars, but now the list includes Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and soon villains like Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, and Captain Hook.
Epic and Disney haven’t said when their persistent universe will be available. But Persson is already excited about it. “It’s one of those partnerships that you can only wish for,” Persson says. “This is all of Disney, and this is all-in from both companies to make what every Disney fan has ever wanted.”
Disney and Epic didn’t share many details about how this would work when it was announced. But after talking to Epic executives during Unreal Fest in Seattle, I’ve learned more about what to expect.
A lot of it comes down to connecting into Epic’s ecosystem. “Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we’ve built,” Epic Games EVP Saxs Persson says in an interview. “We see the power of ecosystems interoperating as being really the magic here. From a player perspective, you want to be able to flow between a Fortnite experience, a Disney experience, or any experience really.”
Persson says players will be able to come into the Disney universe “in the Disney front door or the Fortnite front door.” But they’ll connect to the same cosmetic “lockers” and social graph on the backend. “From a player perspective, it just feels seamless.” (What Persson describes sounds similar to how Lego Fortnite, a survival crafting game, ties into Fortnite.)
For Disney, teaming up with Epic makes sense. Many players already own outfits from Marvel and Star Wars in Fortnite, so if Disney built a Fortnite competitor, players might not want to move if they’re already invested in Epic’s ecosystem. Epic has also proved to be a good caretaker of Disney franchises in Fortnite. Plus, Disney cut its own metaverse division last year, and as part of this arrangement, invested $1.5 billion into Epic. If Epic succeeds, Disney will succeed too.
But the partnership doesn’t mean you’ll be able to run around the Fortnite battle royale island as Mickey Mouse with a gun. “Not every outfit will be able to do everything,” Persson says. “A [Lego] minifig doesn’t hold a gun. Brands should be able to enforce the brand guidelines to the degree they’re comfortable with that brand being associated with particular ratings.”
Disney understands that different franchises suit different experiences, Persson says. “Some IPs are not teen IPs or mature IPs. They are E for everyone IPs.” That’s why many Disney-owned characters can wield a gun in Fortnite. Most are from Marvel and Star Wars, but now the list includes Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and soon villains like Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, and Captain Hook.
Epic and Disney haven’t said when their persistent universe will be available. But Persson is already excited about it. “It’s one of those partnerships that you can only wish for,” Persson says. “This is all of Disney, and this is all-in from both companies to make what every Disney fan has ever wanted.”