Disney Has Purchased a Stake in Epic Games, Sets Sights on Fortnite Franchise

Disney is starting 2024 off with a huge 1.5 billion dollar investment in Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite. They're set to build that relationship around the game, which can now access TV shows, films, and other experiences for its play. It will all be powered by the Unreal Engine.

A press release reads, “In addition to being a world-class games experience and interoperating with Fortnite, the new universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love.”

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Disney CEO Bob Iger said on an earnings call that Disney wants to be in the game business. “And the first thing they showed me was demographic trends. When I saw Gen Z, and Gen Alpha, and even Millennials, and I saw the amount of time they were spending, in terms of their total media screen time, on video games, it was stunning to me — it was equal to what they spend on TV and movies. And the conclusion I reached was, we have to be there. And we have to be there as soon as we possibly can in a very compelling way.”

This feels like the first step into that realm. And with Disney behind you, you can bet we'll see a Fortnite movie or TV show on the horizon as well, the franchise is too lucrative to leave just on one platform.

Games are the next wave for many streamers and conglomerates. We know Netflix is delving into these waters; Amazon won't be far behind. Time will tell if other studios explore this, but video game adaptations like The Last of Us and Gran Turismo have been all the rage.

Let me know what you think of this in the comments.

_{Sourced from Deadline}