If you've been waiting on news about the Disney x Fortnite project, the person now running the entire Walt Disney Company just gave you a reason to stay patient.
Josh D'Amaro officially stepped into the CEO role at Disney on March 18, replacing Bob Iger after a long-anticipated leadership transition. And one of the very first things he talked about publicly? Fortnite. Specifically, the sprawling, still-mysterious Disney x Epic Games project that has been quietly building momentum behind closed doors.
What D'Amaro actually said
Speaking at Disney's annual shareholder meeting, D'Amaro revealed he recently sat down to review the current state of the Disney x Fortnite project. His reaction was direct: "I was blown away by the possibilities."
That's not a lot of hard detail, admittedly. But coming from the person who personally championed Disney's investment into Epic Games in the first place, it carries real weight. D'Amaro isn't just a new executive checking boxes. He's been a frequent visitor to Epic's headquarters in North Carolina and has been pushing Disney deeper into gaming for years.
The project itself is still mostly a mystery
What little Disney has officially said about this project still sounds enormous in scope. When the collaboration was first announced, Disney described it as a "new persistent universe" where fans could play, watch, shop, and engage with characters and content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar, among other properties.
That's not just a crossover skin pack. The vision includes players creating their own stories and experiences and sharing content with each other inside this universe. Just this week, Epic announced new Fortnite creation tools specifically designed to help users build their own Star Wars games, which lines up directly with that broader ambition.
Movie premieres and cruise bookings in Fortnite?
D'Amaro's vision for what this project could become goes well beyond standard gaming crossovers. He has previously floated the idea of Disney premiering movies inside Fortnite, and even allowing players to book a Disney cruise from within the game. Whether those ideas make it to the final product is unknown, but they paint a picture of just how ambitiously Disney is thinking about this.
You'll want to keep an eye on the Epic Games newsroom for any official announcements as this project develops, since Epic has been the more communicative of the two companies so far.
Why D'Amaro taking over changes things
Disney's gaming ambitions had reportedly stalled during the CEO search process. Plans for further gaming deals were disrupted while the company figured out its leadership situation. Now that D'Amaro is officially in charge, those plans can move forward again.
This matters because D'Amaro is genuinely invested in gaming as a growth area for Disney, not just as a licensing revenue stream. The company has operated mostly through licensing deals since shutting down Disney Interactive Studios in 2016 and pulling the plug on Disney Infinity. Former CEO Bob Iger openly admitted in 2019 that Disney hadn't been "particularly good" at making and publishing games internally.
D'Amaro appears to be a different kind of Disney executive on this front. Experts have pointed to gaming as one of the key areas where Disney could grow significantly under his leadership, and the Fortnite project is the most visible bet on that future.
What this means for Fortnite players
For anyone already playing Fortnite, the prospect of a full Disney persistent universe built into or alongside the game is genuinely exciting. The scale being described, with Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Avatar all under one roof, would dwarf anything Epic has done with individual brand crossovers so far.
No launch date has been confirmed, and the project remains light on specifics. But with a CEO who helped create this deal now running Disney and saying he was blown away by what he saw, the momentum feels real. Make sure to check out more:
