The Walt Disney Company is taking its theme park experiences beyond the borders of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort—without breaking ground on new parks. Instead, the entertainment giant is venturing into the digital world, using its $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games to integrate Fortnite with its theme park experiences.
Disney and Fortnite: A Game-Changing Collaboration
Disney has long collaborated with Epic Games, releasing themed skins and in-game items for Fortnite. But in February 2024, Disney solidified its relationship with Epic Games by investing $1.5 billion and acquiring an equity stake in the company. Disney CEO Bob Iger called it the company’s “biggest foray into the game space ever.”
More than a year later, at The Future of World Building at Disney panel during SXSW 2025, Walt Disney Imagineer Asa Kalama teased plans to connect Fortnite with Disney parks, potentially merging in-person and digital experiences in ways never seen before.
Kalama emphasized the storytelling potential of the partnership, explaining, “Imagine…what if you could go to the park and have an experience in Smuggler’s Run, go on this amazing mission but then have that affect or connect [to] your gameplay at home?”
While details remain scarce, the mention of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run seems deliberate. The Disney Park attraction already utilizes Unreal Engine, the game development tool created by Epic Games. The partnership between Disney and Epic could open the door for interactive theme park experiences that bridge the gap between physical and virtual worlds.
More Disney Parks Announcements at SXSW 2025
The Fortnite integration wasn’t the only major Disney Parks update at SXSW 2025. Walt Disney Imagineers also offered fans an exciting first look at the long-awaited Monsters, Inc. (2001) door coaster coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. The suspended coaster concept, which has been rumored for years, was confirmed at D23 Expo 2024.
Additionally, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau joined Kalama to discuss upcoming Lucasfilm collaborations with Walt Disney Imagineering. Favreau revealed that BD-X droids, a new interactive audio-animatronic, would be introduced at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. He also discussed more details about the Mandalorian-themed storyline coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Would you like your Disney Parks vacation to appear in Fortnite or another video game? Share your opinion with Disney Fanatic in the comments.
