Disney invests $1.5 billion in Epic Games

Disney has announced a $1.5 billion investment to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games, with the goal of creating an “all-new games and entertainment universe.”

The details:

• As stated in Disney's announcement post, the "universe" will interoperate with Fortnite and allow players to create experiences in a "distinctly Disney way" using content from the company's IPs like Marvel, Star Wars, and its own original characters.
• According to a new trailer, the project will be released "soon(ish)" and run on Unreal Engine 5. The trailer shows various Disney characters, including Darth Vader and Captain America, in Fortnite, as well as Lightning McQueen from Cars appearing in Rocket League. Toward the end, a piece of concept art depicts what appears to be a world with various zones, including a Fortnite theme park and a metropolis with skyscrapers advertising Disney+ and Marvel.
• Epic's relationship with Disney has been strong over the years, with the latter using Unreal Engine for cinematic work and even in some of its theme park attractions, including Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Also, in late 2020, Fortnite hosted a Marvel-themed event that drew over 15 million concurrent players.

More gaming news:

• Capcom has asked fans which franchises they would like to see new entries in, as well as which games they would like to see remakes of. This includes inactive series like Dino Crisis and Okami.
• Tencent is reportedly developing an Elden Ring mobile game. The game is expected to be free-to-play, with a monetization strategy inspired by Genshin Impact.