A shaky showcase behind big promises. The Disney D23 Fortnite event reveals what to expect in their collaboration with Epic Games.
The Disney D23 Fortnite event could have been the highlight for the Fortnite gaming community. Unfortunately, some things went south and left fans a bit disappointed. On August 11, 2024, Disney showcased the upcoming releases from their $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games.
Here’s everything that happened in the Disney D23 Fortnite event.
The Setup
A promising setup awaits Fortnite players in the Disney D23 Fortnite event. Leveling up the spectating experience, Disney and Epic Games curated a special island within the game. The island is specifically designed for the Disney Horizons panel at D23.
This scales up impressions for the virtual event as it features giant models of The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin and Spider-Man flanking a central screen. The Disney D23 panel was held at the recreated Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The Waiting Game
The Disney D23 set up a game of patience between Fortnite viewers as issues arose in the virtual setting.
Despite opening the doors to the arena an hour earlier than the schedule, the actual D23 panel caused delays in the program. This left players with limited activities to do after waiting for a long time.
The game interactions were limited to three experiences. The players only get emotes to raise the community “cheer bar.” They also collect coins to use for battle pass experience.
Lastly, they watched the loop of trailers for the previous crossovers between Disney and Fortnite.
The Announcements
The Disney D23 event began with approximately 1.2 million people on the Fortnite livestream. Josh D’Amaro, the Disney Parks and Products Chief, led the event by announcing the upcoming Fortnite collaboration releases.
The partnership brings a crossover between your childhood heroes and villains with Fortnite skins. Disney sets out to give a new face to your current character with three upcoming skin themes.
Disney will bring their villains to Fortnite and release skins of Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, or Captain Hook. Costumes of the Incredibles family from Pixar, such as Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone, will also be available for your Fortnite characters. There will also be three skins from Star Wars: The Mandalorian (IG-11, Moff Gideon, and Grogu back bling) in Fall 2024.
The Letdown
Although big and exciting things will hit in the future, the Disney D23 Fortnite event underwhelms the majority of viewers.
The event has limited interaction between players and the game world. This disappoints fans, as previous live events of Fortnite present entertaining interactions.
Access to D23 content was also immediately cut off as soon as they finished the Fortnite-related announcements. It is a shame for the fans that await it.
The focus on the announcement of the upcoming skins made fans upset. The showcase failed to give the fans what they expected.
Comparing Numbers
The scale was off for the viewership at the Disney D23 Fortnite event. The stream managed to attract only 1.2 million viewers for the entirety of Disney D23. It is small compared to previous Fortnite’s collaboration events, like Galactus in 2020, with 15.3 million viewers.
Looking Ahead
The Disney D23 Fortnite is just the beginning of the partnership between Epic Games and Disney. As it is still in the early stages of the partnership, it opens the door for more developments in their succeeding events.
Also, expect to see more of Disney in other titles of Epic Games aside from Fortnite. As revealed in Disney D23, a Mandalorian-themed ride is in the works for Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run with Lucasfilm and Epic Unreal Engine.
Conclusion
The waiting game may have spoiled the Disney D23 Fortnite experience, but the upcoming themes will surely make up for it. Fortnite players can look forward to a new Marvel-themed season, “Absolute Doom,” to take them on thrilling encounters.
The new Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars skins will definitely make the Fortnite community hyped as soon as they are played on the screens. Expect these exciting things to come throughout the 2024 fall as the Disney and Epic Games crossover sets into action.
