Despite Epic Games and Disney teaming-up to develop a "persistent universe" that would serve as a hub for Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar content within the Fortnite ecosystem, Disney doesn't seem to be comfortable to let some of its characters run with guns.
Fortnite had already featured Disney-owned characters for some time, but earlier this year, it was announced that Disney had purchased a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, in a partnership that would also see the two companies team-up on a new "persistent universe". Since that was announced, Fortnite launched another Marvel season, and brand new cosmetics including Iron Man and some of The Incredibles. There was also a Fortnite-centric D23 stream hosted within the game itself and this past weekend's Doctor Doom live event. And soon, Disney animation villains such as Maleficient and Cruella De Vil will join the game.
Currently, all the Disney skins in Fortnite can be used without restriction: The Incredibles and Star Wars characters can team-up to headshot enemies with uzis and shotguns before doing any dance to celebrate, but it sounds like there will be restrictions with Epic Games' Disney-specific mode in the near future.
Speaking to The Verge, Epic Games executive vice president Saxs Persson says Disney wants a place for "all things Disney," and "they want to be part of an ecosystem we've built." However, Persson implies that Disney isn't totally comfortable with some of its popular characters wielding guns in Fortnite, despite being in a battle royale game that features many guns.
“Not every outfit will be able to do everything,” Persson revealed. “A [Lego] minifig doesn’t hold a gun. Brands should be able to enforce the brand guidelines to the degree that they’re comfortable with that brand being associated with particular ratings….Some IPs are not teen IPs or mature IPs. They are E for everyone IPs.”
The only example shared is that LEGO minifigs don't have guns, so we'll have to wait and see how Disney will draw the lines. After all, Fortnite has become more than just a battle royale game. Despite the battle royale mode still being the star of the show, Fortnite also offers other ways to play, including the Fortnite Festival rhythm game and its LEGO sandbox mode. Epic Games already released skins and other cosmetics for those non-combat modes, so it wouldn't be surprising if some cosmetics will not be available to use in battle royale mode.
"Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we've built," Persson told The Verge. “We see the power of ecosystems interoperating as being really the magic here. From a player perspective, you want to be able to flow between a Fortnite experience, a Disney experience, or any experience really.”
Disney and Epic Games haven't revealed when their persistent universe might be released. We will keep you updated here on Epicflix as soon as more official details are shared. Follow our Fortnite News Source Facebook page to get notified with the latest news for the popular battle royale game.
