Disney Invests $1.5 Billion in Epic Games to Create New Content and Entertainment Universe
February 8, 2024 - Reading time: 2 minutes
The partnership between these two giants aims to create new games and an entertainment universe where consumers can engage with content from various sources such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.
This collaboration will allow users to play, watch, shop, and interact with characters and stories across different platforms.
Disney's CEO Bob Iger stated that this investment is "probably our biggest foray into the game space ever," emphasizing its importance in today's demographic trends. The partnership follows previous successes of Disney licensing figures like Spider-Man for blockbuster video games and collaborating with Epic to bring characters from Marvel, Star Wars, and more to Fortnite.
Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney expressed his excitement about the collaboration in a statement: "Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio. Now we're collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open, and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities."
Aside from its partnership with Disney, Epic Games has been making headlines for challenging Apple and Google in court over app store fees. While Sweeney won a victory against Google, which is expected to be appealed, he mostly lost against Apple.
Disney's Expansion into the Gaming Industry
This investment by Disney marks its largest foray into the gaming industry and highlights the company's recognition of the growing importance of this sector. With Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and millennials spending a significant amount of their time on media in the form of games, it is crucial for companies like Disney to adapt and expand their presence in this space.
A New Era of Entertainment
The partnership between Disney and Epic Games will create an innovative entertainment universe where users can engage with content from various sources. This new era of entertainment is set to revolutionize the way we consume media, bringing together characters and stories across different platforms for a seamless experience.
DW Staff
David Lintott is the Editor-in-Chief, leading our team of talented freelance journalists. He specializes in covering culture, sport, and society. Originally from the decaying seaside town of Eastbourne, he attributes his insightful world-weariness to his roots in this unique setting.
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