Disney CEO On Why Gaming Could Be The Company's Next Big Growth-Driver
Overview & Key Takeaways
The Walt Disney Company released its latest earnings report today, and included in the announcement was an update on the games business. In particular, Disney said it sees gaming as an area of growth, saying gaming is an area of the business that doesn't deliver "significant revenue" yet but is "strategically important" to the company overall as it looks to the future.
CEO Josh D'Amaro said Disney's $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games and Fortnite speaks to Disney's eagerness to do more in gaming.
"Interactive platforms are an increasingly relevant medium for younger audiences to engage with characters and stories, and our collaboration with Epic Games is central to our efforts in this space," he said. "Our characters are among the most popular across the Fortnite universe."
The Walt Disney Company released its latest earnings report today, and included in the announcement was an update on the games business. In particular, Disney said it sees gaming as an area of growth, saying gaming is an area of the business that doesn't deliver "significant revenue" yet but is "strategically important" to the company overall as it looks to the future.
CEO Josh D'Amaro said Disney's $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games and Fortnite speaks to Disney's eagerness to do more in gaming.
"Interactive platforms are an increasingly relevant medium for younger audiences to engage with characters and stories, and our collaboration with Epic Games is central to our efforts in this space," he said. "Our characters are among the most popular across the Fortnite universe."
As an example, D'Amaro said The Simpsons x Fortnite event in November 2025 saw 780 million hours played by more than 80 million unique players. More recently, Disney and Epic teamed up to give Fortnite creators a suite of tools to make their own Star Wars games on the Fortnite platform.
Disney Games executive Sean Shoptaw told The Hollywood Reporter that these days, storytelling "isn't confined to a single screen. It lives in worlds fans can step into and shape together." That was part of the reason why Disney and Epic teamed up to let Fortnite creators make their own Star Wars games.
"The combination of cinematic storytelling, social connection, and a passionate creator community is how these worlds can deepen fandom and engage new fans in innovative ways," he said.
Beyond the Disney content already available in Fortnite, Epic Games is said to be working on an Arc Raiders-style game with Disney characters for Fortnite.
During an earnings call today, D'Amaro said working with Epic and building new Fortnite experiences helps Disney reach audiences that it doesn't currently tap into in a significant way. He said working with Fortnite should help the iconic Disney flywheel strategy and act as a "spoke" on the wheel to drive players to other Disney products. This is no surprise, as D'Amaro said himself in leaked comments that Fortnite could one day sell people Disney Cruise Line tickets and connect to the wider Disney world in new ways.
Given the close connection between Disney and Epic, some have theorized that Disney could buy Fortnite, and even a former Disney executive said that could happen.
