The Epic Games-Fortnite Persistent Universe: A New Epoch for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and Rocket Racing
Disney and Fortnite maker Epic Games are teaming up to build what’s being described as an “expansive and open games and entertainment universe.” As part of the announcement, Disney revealed that it is investing $1.5 billion in an equity stake in Epic.
In addition to being a world-class games experience and interoperating with Fortnite, the new persistent 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. Disney fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences in a Disney way, while players will have the option to share their content with each other. This will be powered by Unreal Engine.
That sounds a lot like Epic’s recent collaboration with Lego. In 2022, Epic received a $2 billion investment — which was split between Sony and KIRKBI, an investment company helmed by the family behind Lego — which resulted in the launch of the survival game Lego Fortnite earlier this year. That launch was part of a new era for Fortnite, as Epic made a major push to expand beyond the game’s battle royale roots, turning it into a platform for other kinds of games and experiences. The creators of Rock Band, and the studio behind Rocket League collaborated on a game called Rocket Racing, part of an effort to promote the release of Lego Fortnite.
There isn’t any information on when this metaverse will debut, but there is an announcement that Rocket League is getting a Mandalorian-themed update.
The Eras Tour on Disney+ and Hulu: The Most Streamed Featurelength Animated Movie in the U.S.
Disney+ will be releasing an exclusive streaming debut of The Eras Tour on March 15. Iger says “cardigan” and four acoustic songs are not in the theatrical or digital purchase release of the film.
The original Moana was the “most streamed movie on any platform in the U.S.” in 2023, according to Iger. As a result, he says a feature length animated sequel will get a theatrical release in November, “This was originally developed as a series, but we were impressed with what we saw and we knew it deserved a theatrical release.”
Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery are going to create a one-stop shop for sports on the internet that includes the NBA, NCAA, college sports, Grand Slam Tennis and more. The creation of Hulu by different TV networks was compared to this one by Eric Deggans. The platform will allow these companies to control how live sports migrate over to streaming. And it’s going to help them compete with rivals like Amazon and Netflix, who have the financial resources of Silicon Valley.”