Tim Sweeney, boss of Epic Games, has denied claims published by The Wall Street Journal of frustration within the company regarding its working relationship with Disney.
Yesterday, a WSJ report offered fresh detail on Fortnite’s mysterious upcoming Disney mode, developed following the latter’s $1.5bn investment in Epic Games. The offering won’t launch until “fall 2026 at the earliest,” the report stated, with some Epic executives complaining about “the slow pace of the decision-making at Disney, with signoffs needed from so many different divisions.”
It’s this claim that Sweeney has now refuted, via a post on social media that brands the suggestion as “BS.”
“The anonymous quote is BS,” Sweeney wrote. “The speed of Disney and Epic collaborations like Darth Vader has been awesome and is around 10x the ordinary speed of media company dealings in this business. We even provided a statement to the writer of this article saying so, but they chose not to print it.”
Epic Games’ big Disney collaboration was announced in February 2024, though details on it have remained largely under-wraps. Initial concept artwork for the project featured a virtual Disneyland-style environment, with hubs themed around Disney’s main brands. Exactly what players will do in it, however, remains to be seen.
WSJ’s report states that the project is being overseen within Disney by Josh D’Amaro, head of Disney parks and resorts, who has visited Sweeney and spent time hiking with the CEO. One alleged concern around the project has been its fan-created elements, with questions raised over who might legally own a dance that utilises Disney characters.
Epic Games and Disney have forged a deep collaboration in recent years, with Marvel and Star Wars themed seasons, and countless characters now available as Fortnite skins, now including a selection from Pixar films, and even Disney classic animation, too.
The companies recently used Fortnite to test an AI-powered Darth Vader, who could chat away with players using generative speech. Upon launch, the concept required an urgent fix after fans quickly got Darth Vader saying things he shouldn’t, though ultimately more than 10 million players spoke with the Sith Lord.
This week sees Fortnite shift into its next season, which sees its main battle royale Island infested with mutant bugs, and additional characters from Halo brought in to help. Meanwhile, in the game’s OG mode, the action moves into Fortnite’s well-loved Season 5, which should see the appearance of Kevin the Cube — though Epic Games is doing fun things with this re-run’s storyline, so perhaps not.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
