A Bloomberg report revealed that Epic Games is in development on an all-new extraction shooter built around Disney characters — completely separate from Fortnite. The reported project positions Epic squarely against the likes of Bungie's Marathon and the indie darling Arc Raiders in what has become the most hotly contested genre in live-service gaming. The difference is that neither Marathon nor Arc Raiders is arriving with a century of IP behind it. Disney is.
Details remain thin. There's no release window, no confirmed character roster, no official announcement from Epic, and no trailer. What Bloomberg's sources describe is a project still in active development rather than imminent announcement. But Bloomberg's track record on gaming exclusives — they broke the Activision acquisition before Microsoft confirmed it, and called the Fallout TV show months before Amazon announced it — means this one demands serious attention.
The strategic logic is easy to read. Fortnite's player count has been declining relative to its 2018-2020 peak, and Epic has been pouring resources into Chapter 5 and creative mode expansions to maintain engagement. A second major live-service title would diversify Epic's revenue and reduce their existential dependence on a single game that's been operating for nearly a decade. Building that second title around Disney IP is about as safe a bet as the industry offers.
The extraction shooter genre is a fascinating place for Disney to plant a flag. Extraction shooters — games where you enter a high-risk zone, collect loot, and have to escape without dying — have proven they can sustain enormous player bases when executed well. Escape from Tarkov built a cult following. Hunt: Showdown has thrived for years. The genre rewards both casual and hardcore players differently, which is valuable for a publisher trying to serve Disney's broad audience.