Disney and Epic Games Team Up to Launch New ‘Star Wars’ Series Inside Fortnite

Disney and Epic Games are working even more closely together. Their latest project will let fans watch a new Star Wars show inside the popular game Fortnite — before it even comes out on Disney+.

The show, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, will first appear on a special Star Wars island in Fortnite on May 2, two days before its official release on Disney+ on May 4. Players will be able to fight enemies on the island while watching the show.

The animated series comes from Star Wars producer Dave Filoni and tells stories from the darker, criminal side of the galaxy. Disney is also launching a new Fortnite season called Fortnite: Galactic Battle on the same day, themed around Star Wars.

This is the first time Disney+ will show a new series inside a video game: “For the first time, Disney+ is premiering a show inside a game,” said Sean Shoptaw, executive VP of Disney Games & Digital Entertainment. “We’re building the next era of digital entertainment, where fans can play, watch, create and connect – and we’re just beginning to tap into what’s possible.”

Players will also be able to link their Epic Games accounts with their myDisney accounts. Doing so will unlock a free stormtrooper skin and prepare fans for future experiences with Disney content in Fortnite. “Disney and Epic are pioneering the future of social entertainment together,” said Adam Sussman, president of Epic Games. “We are reimagining what’s possible with immersive storytelling in Fortnite with one of the world’s most beloved franchises – stay tuned for a lot more to come.”

This team-up is part of Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, announced in early 2024. The goal is to create a new Disney world inside games, using popular characters and stories.

Disney and Epic have worked together before to bring Star Wars and Marvel characters into Fortnite. In 2019, Fortnite players got to see a special sneak peek of The Rise of Skywalker in-game.

Josh D’Amaro, Disney Experiences chairman, compared the new project to Walt Disney’s bold vision for the future: “We envision essentially a universe that we’re going to build where all our stories can come to life… in ways that you can just interact with and play with the franchise in a way that’s meaningful to you,” D’Amaro said.

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