Disney is not pursuing an acquisition of Epic Games, Disney president Dana Walden said in a Friday, Oct. 2 Bloomberg Live interview.
What Disney denied
Walden said Disney and Epic are not having acquisition conversations “right now,” but she emphasized the companies’ existing partnership remains strong. She noted that Disney has “a number of launches coming up over the next two years” that will demonstrate the value of their collaboration, without naming specific projects.
The denial follows reports from tech journalist Alex Heath in March 2026 that some Disney executives were “waiting for that moment” to expand their relationship with an acquisition. In April, according to PC Gamer, Epic was developing a game with Disney characters set to launch in November 2026, though that project has not been officially announced.
How Disney and Epic Games connected
Disney’s interest in Epic has been public since early 2024, when Disney announced it acquired a $1.5 billion equity stake in the game developer. At the time, then-CEO Bob Iger called the partnership “Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games” and promised collaborations that would bring Disney franchises into Fortnite and beyond.
The scale of that investment, combined with reports of new unannounced projects in development, led some observers to speculate that Disney might move toward a full acquisition. Walden’s language, saying acquisition talks are not happening “right now”, left open the possibility of future negotiations rather than ruling out the idea permanently.
What it means for Epic Games and Fortnite
For now, Epic remains independent, and Fortnite will continue to operate as its own game with Disney collaboration content. The partnership has already produced results: a Disneyland-exclusive Fortnite skin and officially licensed Star Wars minigames have launched, and Walden’s comments signal more crossovers are coming.
The relationship shows Disney is investing heavily in gaming and entertainment partnerships rather than making major acquisitions in the space. Walden’s emphasis on “launches coming up over the next two years” suggests Disney and Epic have concrete projects in various stages of development that fans will see announced and released in that window.
Reporting from IGN contributed to this story.
