Epic Games is banking on Disney to shake up Fortnite. Layoffs, mode cancellations, and a new ARC Raiders-style shooter—read our article for details.
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Epic Games and Disney Partnership: What We Know So Far
Epic Games is going through tough times. The company recently laid off a thousand people and shut down several Fortnite modes. Now, according to a recent Bloomberg report, the company is pinning its hopes on an alliance with the Walt Disney Company. Insiders say the first joint game could launch as early as November.
Extraction Shooter from Epic and Disney: Gameplay and Mechanics
Project Comparison: Fortnite vs Epic Disney Shooter
This is an extraction shooter—a genre familiar from ARC Raiders. Gameplay: players control Disney characters, fight enemies, and reach the extraction point. Sounds bold. But there’s a catch.
Why Internal Testers Aren’t Enthusiastic About the Game Yet
Internal reviewers aren’t enthused yet. The mechanics are being called unoriginal. However, some of the team remains optimistic: they believe Epic will polish the project by November. If they polish it, it’ll be a hit. If not, it’ll be another run-of-the-mill game with an expensive brand.
But enough about the doubts—let’s instead examine how the new game from Epic and Disney significantly differs from, say, Fortnite.
How does Epic’s Disney Shooter differ from Fortnite?
Epic is not trying to create its own hit. The studio’s new Disney project is based on a completely different player psychology: where Fortnite takes on a frenzied pace and creative construction, Disney Shooter relies on team survival, loot, and timer pressure during evacuation. It’s closer to ARC Raiders in spirit — the winner here is not the one who scored the most frags, but the one whose squad is played better.
Disney Store Merch as In-game Content: A New Monetization Model
Perhaps Epic’s most unexpected decision concerns monetization. The studio is testing a hybrid model in which some cosmetics are directly linked to the Disney Store ecosystem: if you buy a physical figurine or a plush character, you get a code for in—game content. Fortnite has never come to this: there, merch and gameplay lived in parallel worlds, without intersecting in any way.
Disney Shooter as a Platform for Marvel and other Epic Brands
For the community, this is something more important than the next announcement. This combination signals that the game was originally designed not as a competitor to the battle royale, but as a point of attraction for fans of Disney, Marvel and everything that enters this orbit. If the project is successful, it risks becoming the new central axis of Epic content — not just a title in the portfolio, but a full-fledged platform for brand universes. Is the plan serious? Uniquely.
Layoffs at Epic Games and a focus on Disney: What does this mean for the market?
The layoffs of 1,000 employees are a signal. Epic is clearing the ground before a major push. Disney is a powerful trump card. Cartoon characters alone aren’t enough; solid gameplay is needed. Otherwise, even mouse ears won’t save the day.
We’ll be following developments. New details are promised soon.
