Disney buys Epic Games shares for 1.5 billion dollars, collaboration with Fortnite

The new universe, designed to interact with Fortnite, will offer consumers multiple ways to play with characters and stories from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and other universes

Walt Disney Company has announced the acquisition of a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games. The collaboration aims to launch an entirely new gaming and entertainment universe, connected to Fortnite, that will significantly expand the reach of Disney's stories and interactive experiences. The new universe, designed to interact with Fortnite, will offer consumers multiple ways to play, watch, shop and interact with content, characters and stories from beloved universes such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more . Players will have the opportunity to create their own stories and experiences, “express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way,” and share content.

Robert A. Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, expressed excitement about this new partnership: “Our new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney's most beloved brands and franchises with the wildly popular Fortnite, creating a new universe of games and entertainment. The agreement represents Disney's most significant investment in video games and offers significant growth opportunities. We can't wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in completely new and revolutionary ways.”

Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games, highlighted the importance of the collaboration: “Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of merging their worlds with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio. Now we're collaborating on something completely new to build a persistent, open, and interoperable ecosystem that will unite the Disney and Fortnite communities.” Josh D'Amaro, president of Disney Experiences, added: “This will allow us to bring together our incredible collection of stories and experiences from across the company for broad audiences in ways we've only dreamed of before. Industry-leading technology of Epic Games and Fortnite's open ecosystem will help us reach consumers where they are, so they can interact with Disney in the ways that are most relevant to them.”