Epic Games is building a Disney-themed extraction shooter as the first major game from the companies’ $1.5 billion partnership, according to a Bloomberg report published April 10. The Epic Disney extraction shooter has a November launch target, though sources inside Epic say development has been uneven and the team is under pressure to meet an aggressive timeline.
The game features unspecified Disney characters working together to defeat enemies and reach extraction points, a structure similar to games like Arc Raiders. Internal playtesters who spoke to Bloomberg said the game’s mechanics aren’t particularly original. Epic employees believe, however, that the company can get things into shape before the release window arrives.
Inside Epic’s Disney extraction shooter
The extraction shooter is the first of three games Epic is developing under Disney’s 2024 investment deal. Each project is reportedly under separate internal review, and none are ahead of schedule. The second game has received mixed feedback from internal testers. The company redirected resources from the third game to support the extraction shooter and the second project after Disney allegedly told Epic it was disappointed with progress.
Bloomberg also reports that employees on the Disney projects are worried about being pushed to meet an “unrealistic schedule.” Current and former staff pointed to Fortnite‘s Counter-Strike-inspired mode, Ballistic, as a warning. Ballistic had real potential, those same employees said, but Epic shipped it before it was ready and it never found an audience. The mode shuts down next week.
Epic and Disney respond to the report
Epic’s global communications director, Liz Markman, disputed Bloomberg’s account. She said the report was “not reflective of the ambitions of the Disney collaboration” and described the project as “building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experiences.” A Disney spokesperson said the company remains “focused” on its “long-term collaboration with Epic” and that plans for a “transformational games and entertainment universe” are “unchanged.”
Layoffs and an already-stretched company
The Bloomberg report arrives after a difficult stretch for Epic. Last month, the company laid off more than 1,000 employees. CEO Tim Sweeney acknowledged that some Fortnite modes and Epic Games Store initiatives had failed to meet expectations, and Epic later announced several Fortnite modes would be shut down. Bloomberg notes that some of those laid off had been working on unannounced games, a group that likely overlaps with the Disney pipeline projects.
Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic was announced in February 2024. Both companies framed the deal as the foundation for a “persistent universe” tied to Fortnite, with Disney building games and experiences inside the Epic ecosystem. The Epic Disney extraction shooter, if it ships on schedule, would be the first game to deliver on that promise.
Bloomberg’s sources inside Epic are not confident the Epic Disney extraction shooter hits its November launch date.