Back in February, we learned that Disney had invested an astonishing $US1.5 billion in game developer Epic, as the two companies set out to create what they called “a new persistent universe.” Little more was known how this integration would work, but now an interview with Epic management by The Verge has made things a teeny bit more clear.
Obviously, Disney is already heavily interwoven with Fortnite. Just this last Saturday saw some 5.6 million people show up simultaneously—numbers not even the biggest games on Steam could dream of—to battle a colossal Doctor Doom, who appeared on the island following weeks of the battle royale foreshadowing Marvel-based storylines. That came a week after skins for Pixar’s The Incredibles characters were added to the game, alongside cosmetics for Deadpool and Wolverine. Let alone the years of Star Wars-related inclusions in the massive game.
Read More: Disney Will Develop A ‘New Persistent Universe’ With Epic Games
However, what the two mega-corps have planned is something that builds on all of this, but in an overlapping space. The Verge spoke to Epic’s executive vice president, Saxs Persson, who told them, “Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we’ve built.” The idea being, you can discover the Disney-focused aspect of this future project via Fortnite, or you can come into it through other portals, but it’ll all somehow integrate together.
“We see the power of ecosystems interoperating as being really the magic here, continued Persson. “From a player perspective, you want to be able to flow between a Fortnite experience, a Disney experience, or any experience really.” So all the skins and characters you may have collected in Fortnite, or in similarly overlapping survival crafting game, Lego Fortnite, or perhaps even Rocket League, will transfer to this Disney space. However, it’s looking unlikely this will be an entirely two-way street.
“Not every outfit will be able to do everything,” Persson told The Verge. “A minifig doesn’t hold a gun…Some IPs are not teen IPs or mature IPs. They are E for everyone IPs.” Which is to say, there’s obviously no desire with Disney to see its beloved children’s characters making headshots with a bolt-action sniper rifle, and as such, devastatingly, we’re still a long way off getting to see Donald Duck finally take his rightful revenge against that smug, dumb-voiced mouse via the means of rapid fire SMG.
What Disney’s own space will entail is still under wraps, but my money would be on something adjacent to the enormously popular Disney Dreamlight Valley, but with more emphasis on multiplayer events and interaction. Then you’ll be able to bring in all your Disney IP-based Fortnite-accrued skins and items, albeit without their arsenal of weapons, in a festival of corporate joy.
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