Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Wednesday that they are making a new $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. Disney and Epic Games will work together to "create new games an an entertainment universe". This persistent universe will presumably be within Fortnite and will offer a place for people to "play, watch, shop, and engage with content, characters, and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more".
On a follow-up interview with CNBC, Iger said that this investment is "probably our biggest foray into the game space ever". Somewhere the ghost of Disney Interactive Studios is livid.
"Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe". - Bob Iger
"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". - Tim Sweeney
Epic Games recently laid off 16% of their workforce in late 2023. The company also suffered a major setback in Tim Sweeney's legal crusade against Apple.