In February, Disney and Epic Games announced that they were collaborating on a “persistent universe” that would include characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, star warsand more. Disney franchises have appeared in fortnite for years, but this new universe promises to be something greater and will be interoperable with fortnite.
Disney and Epic didn't share many details about how this would all work when it was announced. But after speaking with Epic executives during Unreal Fest in Seattle this week, I learned a little more about what to expect.
A lot of it comes down to connecting to the Epic ecosystem. “Disney wants a persistent place where everything Disney-related can be there, but it wants to be part of an ecosystem that we've built,” says Epic Games executive vice president Saxs Persson in an interview with The edge. “We think the power of ecosystem interoperability is really the magic here. From the player's perspective, you want to be able to flow between a fortnite experience, a Disney experience or any experience really.”
Persson says players will be able to enter the Disney universe “through the Disney front door or the fortnite front door.” But they will connect on the backend to the same cosmetic “lockers” and the same social graph. “From the player's perspective, everything feels perfect.” (What Persson is describing is a bit like how lego fortnitewhich is a survival crafting game, is related to fortnite more broadly.)
For Disney, partnering with Epic makes a lot of sense. Many players already own a ton of Marvel outfits and star wars in fortniteso if Disney went to the considerable trouble of building a fortnite competitor, players may not want to move if they have already invested heavily in Epic's ecosystem. Epic has already shown that it can be a great caretaker of Disney franchises in fortnitealso. And then there's the business side: Disney eliminated its own metaverse division last year, and as part of this new deal, Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic. If Epic is successful, Disney will be too.
But the partnership doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to race around the world. fortnite Battle Royale Island as Mickey Mouse with a gun. “Not every company will be able to do everything,” says Persson. “A (Lego) minifigure does not wield a weapon. “Brands should be able to enforce brand guidelines to the extent they are comfortable with that brand being associated with particular ratings.”
Disney understands that different franchises are right for certain experiences, Persson says. “Some PIs are neither teenage nor mature PIs. They are IP E for everyone.” That's why you can now play with so many Disney-owned characters wielding a gun in fortnite. Most of them are from Marvel and star warsbut as of last week, the list now includes x.com/FortniteGame/status/1839818531971482028″>Mr. and Mrs. Incrediblesand Disney villains Maleficent, Cruella de Vil and Captain Hook will be instagram.com/reel/C-hAJLqRYEl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading”>playable characters soon too.
Epic and Disney haven't said exactly when their persistent universe might be available. But it's clear that Persson is already very excited about it. “It's one of those partnerships you can only wish for,” says Persson. “This is all Disney, and both companies are collaborating to make what every Disney fan has always wanted.”
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