Disney’s latest CEO shakeup is already drifting into some silly territory: Josh D’Amaro apparently wants to premiere full-on Disney movies inside Fortnite, turning Epic’s live-service juggernaut into a virtual cinema lobby.
According to reporting from Puck News, D’Amaro floated the idea that future Disney films could debut directly in Fortnite, alongside other brand tie-ins like booking a Disney cruise or even “participating” in the Super Bowl from inside the game. The idea is that if people are already hanging out in Epic’s universe, Disney wants to meet them there with movies, ads, and vacation upsells baked into the experience.
This all builds on Disney’s 2024 move to buy a 1.5 billion dollar stake in Epic Games, with the two planning a “persistent social universe” for playing, watching, shopping, and generally being monetized by familiar IP. If the phrase “metaverse hub” makes your eye twitch, yes, that concept is shambling back, baby.
Fortnite already dipped its toe into film premieres with Tarantino’s Kill Bill short, Yuki’s Revenge, as part of the Fortnite After Dark promos, so Disney’s plan isn’t totally hypothetical. But if Disney starts treating Fortnite like an all-ages theater chain, that’s yet another anchor tying big media to always-online platforms and away from more open, archival-friendly spaces.
For folks who like their media to keep working 20 years from now on a handheld with a microSD card, the idea of tentpole releases living inside a “black hole game” that eats time, money, and attention is complicated. On one hand, it’s a clever way to reach younger audiences who treat Fortnite like a social OS. On the other hand, it doubles down on the kind of walled-garden, license-locked content that has already made preservation a headache.
If this experiment actually takes off, don’t be surprised when other studios try the same thing. The theatrical window might not be dead yet, but it just picked up a neon Battle Bus escort.
Source: Puck’s News via Tweak Town
1 Comment
I know they’re probably only making this announcement to stir up the media outlets and get some people talking about them. (Who knows, they may even go ahead with it on at least one movie.)
But I actually want them to do this. It’ll make it even easier to ignore all the garbage they pump out. 😀
So yeah, I say go for it. If it works out for them, then that’s good for me (because now their crappy movies are harder to access and will be more obscure as a consequence), if it doesn’t, that’s also good for me (because it means less money in their pocket, and less crappy movies as a consequence). It’s a win win!
Unless they suddenly start making loads of really great movies, but what are the chances of that happening.
Although I will give my condolences to all of the Disney fans that are still out there. All… wait let me count… 1, 2… Yeah, all 7 of you.