Disney and Fortnite Partnership to Continue Amidst Epic Games Layoffs
Fortnite is free-to-play and available on all major gaming consoles, mobile, and PC.
After a large round of layoffs at Epic Games, the Disney / Fortnite partnership will continue despite internal challenges.
What’s Happening:
- According to The Wrap, Epic Games is continuing its partnership with Disney to build a major entertainment universe inside Fortnite despite cutting $500 million in costs and laying off over 1,000 employees.
- The project was announced in 2024 alongside Disney’s $1.5 billion investment and aims to let users play, watch, shop, and interact with content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.
- Built using Unreal Engine, the experience will allow users to create and share their own stories in a Disney-themed environment.
- Epic recently added tools enabling creators to design their own Star Wars experiences inside Fortnite.
- Disney executive Josh D’Amaro said he was impressed by the project’s progress and potential last week as he stepped into the role of CEO at The Walt Disney Company.
- Epic CEO Tim Sweeney mentioned “huge launch plans” later this year, though it’s unclear if that refers to the Disney collaboration.
- The two companies have already collaborated on Fortnite events, including Marvel’s “Nexus War with Galactus,” which drew over 15.3 million concurrent players.
- Unreal Engine is widely used across Disney projects, including games like Kingdom Hearts 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, as well as films, streaming content, and theme park attractions.
- Disney is restructuring its gaming division under its entertainment unit, with leadership changes involving Debra O’Connell, Sean Shoptaw, and Dana Walden.
- Fortnite still leads U.S. monthly active users on consoles, but average playtime has declined year-over-year.
- Sweeney acknowledged that Fortnite’s engagement drop began in 2025 and that the company is currently spending significantly more than it earns.
Disneyland in Fortnite:
- Back in November, Disney invited fans into a virtual world inspired by Disneyland in the hit video game Fortnite.
- Disneyland Game Rush quickly proved to be a great addition to the game’s lineup of custom creator islands, providing Disney fans with gameplay inspired by the resort’s 70 year history.
- Combining classic Fortnite gameplay remixed with the magic of Disneyland, you can:
- Take on Stormtroopers on a Star Destroyer like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
- Help Spider-Man control the ever-replicating Spider-Bots at Worldwide Engineering Brigade HQ, inspired by WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure.
- Relive your Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT memories by infiltrating The Collector’s Fortress.
- Jump into an intergalactic rail race inspired by Space Mountain.
- Creep your way through a spooktacular “scavenger haunt” in the Haunted Mansion.
- Race through a cursed temple just like Indiana Jones Adventure.
- While having a chance to check out the game, I greatly enjoyed Disneyland Game Rush (Check out my full review).
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