Disney, after spending $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake, is teaming up with Epic Games to develop a brand new universe within Fortnite. During their Q1 FY24 Earnings Call Disney said this new expansive universe will give fans the opportunity to “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement that “this marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of videogames, and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion.” Details regarding when we can expect Disney’s massive eruption into Fortnite to look like are yet to be revealed., but we can expect it to be a “multi-year project.” This is not Disney’s first time collaborating with Fortnite, as there is history of Marvel and Star Wars content. However with this being a new “universe” it seems like this is going to be more than just skins in the shop. While the intricate details are scarce for the time being, it might be only a matter of time until Peter Griffin can hit the griddy with Mickey Mouse.
Disney collaborating with Epic Games to expand into the world of videogames could be coming at the right time for the media behemoth, considering how exhausted Bob Iger is with the myriad of box office failures from the past year. Iger could use a win and by entering a new domain, that being the world of Fortnite, Iger is “very optimistic” by the new initiatives centering around gaining the attention of Gen Z. In a televised interview to CNBC, Iger mentions that most of Gen Z spends their time playing games on their phones and consoles as opposed to watching television or movies, according to an analysis by YPulse. It only makes sense to cater to that audience, as it is a field of potential. For now, we will just have to wait and see if Disney can pull back their losses by dropping full force into Fortnite.