Disney’s big Fortnite project–whatever it might be–is still in the works and is said to be targeting a Fall 2026 release. That’s according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, which also claimed some Epic executives have complained about Disney’s reportedly slow sign-off and approval process. At the same time, the report said some Disney executives have expressed concerns about the project.
The report said Disney believes gaming can be a major revenue-driver for the company, which is why it invested $1.5 billion with Epic to make a Disney universe inside Fortnite. Disney’s Fortnite project is codenamed “Bulldog,” the report said.
It remains to be seen exactly what Disney’s plans are, but regarding the reported frustrations from Epic’s side, the report said Disney requires sign-off from “so many different divisions.”
Whatever the project turns out to be, the report said Disney parks and resorts boss Josh D’Amaro is personally leading the effort to get it done. The report said he’s spent time with Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney near the company’s HQ in North Carolina, and they have gone on hikes together.
The report added that “some Disney executives have raised concerns” about the project regarding “who owns fan creations based on Disney’s characters.” The publication said if a Fortnite player created their own mashup dance featuring Darth Vader and Spider-Man, that could lead to legal questions about ownership, among other things.
Disney and Epic have of course already worked together on Star Wars and Marvel crossovers, among others, but not all of them have gone over entirely smoothly. When Disney brought an Darth Vader to Fortnite featuring the AI-powered voice of James Earl Jones, people quickly made him say questionable things and curse. This was corrected quickly, but it surely has not been forgotten.
The official word is that Disney is working with Epic to create “a place where you can play games, a place where you can be social, [and] a place where users can generate their own content.” Essentially, D’Amaro said Disney’s aim to create an entire “universe” where “all our stories can come to life.”
“They can come to life in different forms, [like] games. They can come to life in ways that you can just interact with and play with the franchise in a way that’s meaningful to you–a place where you can actually build,” he said. “And we think that this is going to be a place where all fans can come and interact 365 days a year.”
Characters and content from Disney’s Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar brands, among others, will be represented in Fortnite. Disney and Epic have yet to officially unveil any specific projects in Fortnite tied to Disney, but many are hoping to see some kind of “virtual Disney World.” Along those lines, a Disney Imagineer recently teased some kind of theme park integration for people who visit Disney’s parks and play the upcoming game.
As for D’Amaro, he is said to be a leading choice to replace CEO Bob Iger after he plans to retire in 2026.
Fortnite is more of a platform than a single game that gets new updates constantly, including the soon-to-release Season 4. In addition to the main battle royale game, Fortnite hosts games like Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and Lego Fortnite, along with countless other user-created games and experiences on the platform. Whatever Epic and Disney might be cooking up could be just the latest game to exist on the Fortnite platform.
Disney no longer develops big games in-house, as its own Disney Interactive Studios shut down years ago. These days, Disney works with outside teams as part of licensing arrangements. Not all of the games are successful, though, as Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws failed to sell up to expectations. One of Disney’s latest major games was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was developed by MachineGames in partnership with Lucasfilm. The game is performing well, it seems.
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