Epic Games is reportedly working on a Disney-themed extraction shooter, according to Kotaku. The project leans into the company's high-profile partnership with Disney, which saw the entertainment giant invest $1.5 billion into Epic back in 2023.
Extraction shooters - think Hunt: Showdown or Escape from Tarkov - task players with looting environments and surviving long enough to make it out with their haul. Wrapping that format in Disney IP is an interesting swing, especially given how family-friendly the brand typically skews. It's worth noting that extraction games tend to attract a more hardcore audience, so this could signal Epic is aiming for something with broader tonal range than your average Disney product.
The timing is notable. Epic has had a turbulent stretch recently, with the company laying off around 16% of its workforce in late 2023 and making difficult cuts across multiple divisions. Fortnite remains a massive revenue driver, but Epic clearly needs new hits to diversify its portfolio beyond its battle royale juggernaut.
Disney's IP catalog is enormous - Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and classic Disney properties are all on the table - which gives a potential extraction shooter a lot of creative real estate to work with. Whether Epic leans into one specific franchise or blends multiple universes together (something Fortnite has done extremely well) remains unclear based on current reporting.
Epic has not officially announced the project, so details are thin. Kotaku's report doesn't specify which Disney properties would feature, what platforms are being targeted, or where the game sits in development. Treat this as early days.
Still, the concept has legs. Epic knows how to build massive online playgrounds, and extraction shooters are a genre that rewards deep mechanical investment - something Epic's dev pedigree is well-suited for. The Disney angle could also lower the barrier to entry for players who might otherwise find the genre too punishing, depending on how the studio tunes the experience.
Keep an eye on any Epic or Disney announcements in the coming months. If this one is real and progressing, it probably won't stay under wraps for long.
