There's no need to check your calendar – April Fools' Day has come and gone, and a real report from a legitimate outlet suggests that Fortnite studio Epic Games is building a Disney extraction shooter with the intent to release it later this year.
This Disney extraction shooter is expected to launch in November, according to Bloomberg's report, which cites four current or former employees with knowledge of the project. It's "along the lines" of Arc Raiders, but will feature Disney characters fighting enemies on their way to an extraction point.
In a statement to the outlet, Epic's senior director of global communications, Liz Markman, said the report is "not reflective of the ambitions of the Disney collaboration. We are building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experiences." She did not, apparently, speak to the specific details of the game.
Bloomberg says Epic's internal reviewers have worried "the game mechanics are not very original," but other employees are apparently optimistic about the game's potential. Well, hey, you couldn't really accuse Fortnite's core battle royale mode of being particularly original, either.
The report does not address whether this Disney extraction shooter will be a standalone game or accessible from within Fortnite. Epic has previously billed some content within Fortnite as separate games rather than mere modes, and some have featured wildly distinct gameplay styles. If Rocket Racing (RIP) can be launched from within Fortnite, I don't see why a Disney extraction shooter couldn't – but the nature of the project remains to be seen.
Epic and Disney announced a $1.5 billion partnership in 2024, but the true fruits of that collaboration have not yet become clear. More recently, Epic has become concerned about Fortnite's slowing growth, citing the battle royale's downturn as reason for laying off over 1,000 employees. I guess we'll have to wait and see whether a game that'll presumably feature Mickey and Donald Duck beating each other to death for scrap can turn those fortunes around.
The sounds you're hearing are the cries of all the Kingdom Hearts 4 holdouts crumbling into dust.
