Epic Games Boss Tim Sweeney Blasts 'BS' Report Suggesting Fortnite's Mysterious Disney Mode Hampered by Slow Decision-Making

Tim Sweeney, brag of Epic Games, has denied claims published by The Wall Street Journal of vexation wrong the institution regarding its moving narration with Disney.

Yesterday, a WSJ study offered caller item connected Fortnite's mysterious upcoming Disney mode, developed pursuing the latter's $1.5bn concern successful Epic Games. The offering won't motorboat until "fall 2026 astatine the earliest," the study stated, with immoderate Epic executives complaining astir "the dilatory gait of the decision-making astatine Disney, with signoffs needed from truthful galore antithetic divisions."

It's this assertion that Sweeney has present refuted, via a station connected societal media that brands the proposition arsenic "BS."

"The anonymous punctuation is BS," Sweeney wrote. "The velocity of Disney and Epic collaborations similar Darth Vader has been awesome and is astir 10x the mean velocity of media institution dealings successful this business. We adjacent provided a connection to the writer of this nonfiction saying so, but they chose not to people it."

Epic Games' large Disney collaboration was announced successful February 2024, though details connected it person remained mostly under-wraps. Initial conception artwork for the task featured a virtual Disneyland-style environment, with hubs themed astir Disney's main brands. Exactly what players volition bash successful it, however, remains to beryllium seen.

WSJ's study states that the task is being overseen wrong Disney by Josh D'Amaro, caput of Disney parks and resorts, who has visited Sweeney and spent clip hiking with the CEO. One alleged interest astir the task has been its fan-created elements, with questions raised implicit who mightiness legally ain a creation that utilises Disney characters.

Epic Games and Disney person forged a heavy collaboration successful caller years, with Marvel and Star Wars themed seasons, and countless characters present disposable arsenic Fortnite skins, present including a enactment from Pixar films, and adjacent Disney classical animation, too.

The companies precocious utilized Fortnite to trial an AI-powered Darth Vader, who could chat distant with players utilizing generative speech. Upon launch, the conception required an urgent hole aft fans rapidly got Darth Vader saying things helium shouldn't, though yet much than 10 cardinal players spoke with the Sith Lord.

This week sees Fortnite displacement into its adjacent season, which sees its main conflict royale Island infested with mutant bugs, and further characters from Halo brought successful to help. Meanwhile, successful the game's OG mode, the enactment moves into Fortnite's well-loved Season 5, which should spot the quality of Kevin the Cube — though Epic Games is doing amusive things with this re-run's storyline, truthful possibly not.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social