Arc Raiders shooter with Disney characters coming to Fortnite as part of 3-game deal

Fortnite might finally be hitting a wall in terms of expansion and engagement, and new reports from Bloomberg say that the Disney x Epic partnership will lead to 2 more titles--including an extraction shooter similar to Arc Raiders.

2

Disney has big plans for Fortnite, having invested a whopping $1.5 billion into Epic Games to fund a vast array of new experiences. At the time, Disney said the team-up would lead to "transformational new games and entertainment universe."

Now thanks to reports from Bloomberg's Cecilia D'Anastasio, fans have an idea on what new games will come from the Epic x Disney partnership. Sources tell D'Anastasio that there are at least three games in development, and the first game will be an extraction shooter similar to Nexon's mega-hit Arc Raiders, featuring Disney characters instead of grizzled Arc hunters.

These plans have been affected by Epic's recent round of layoffs, which saw 1,000 people losing their positions at the company. The production timelines have been disrupted by these layoffs and Disney reportedly isn't happy about how long they're having to wait before the first game--the rumored extraction shooter--is released.

Epic issued a statement about the claims, saying that Bloomberg's report is "not reflective of the ambitions of the Disney collaboration." Epic communications exec Liz Markman says that "we are building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experience," possibly indicating that there are more grandiose plans in the works, and that the partnership could last quite some time.

Back in March, it was said that Disney might be thinking about buying Epic Games, however these new reports could put a damper on those claims. Plus, multiple gaming firms hold stakes in Epic Games, including international companies like Sony and Tencent Games--the latter of which has a mighty 40% stake in Epic. Getting these firms to agree to buyout terms might be a tough proposition.

Turmoil has stricken Epic Games in the form of overspending, global technological disruptions, rising staff wages due to increased cost of living expenses, and missed earnings on big-budget content releases.

Epic was also embroiled in multiple high-profile lawsuits over recent years, spending millions on court and lawyer fees along the way--all while Fortnite was kept off the App Store and missing out on many millions of dollars of spending.

As most companies do, Epic responded to the disruptions by pulling its immediate financial levers--layoffs and price hikes.

The company has laid off roughly 1,800 to 2,000 employees over the years, with the most recent layoff round being the biggest and affecting 1,000 people at once.

Fortnite's V-bucks also got a shrinkflation adjustment, leading to prices that saw users paying the same amount of money for less digital currency. At the time, Epic explains that the price increase was "directly correlated to a rise in operating costs."

Disney's plans with Epic and Fortnite might not just be for interactive entertainment. New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro reportedly said that new films could premiere within Fortnite, similar to the Fortnite After Dark promo with Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill spin-off.

The 2024 Epic x Disney press release mentions that the deal will see the creation of a "persistent social universe" where fans can "play, watch, shop, and engage" with Disney brands. This brings to mind the original concepts of gaming's nascent metaverse idea.