Rumor has it that the Mouse Empire is simply waiting for the right moment to throw a much bigger bag of money at Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. At this stage, though, the story is still just that – a rumor – even if Disney and Epic already have a very real strategic relationship in place.
Nearly three years after speculation first suggested that Disney wanted to become a much bigger force in gaming through a major acquisition, the chatter has now shifted away from Electronic Arts and toward Epic Games. According to Alex Heath of The Verge, Disney’s real interest is not EA at all, but the company behind Fortnite. During a discussion on The Town with Matt Belloni about Epic Games’ recent layoffs, Belloni said there had been ongoing industry rumors that Disney wanted to buy Epic outright.
Heath stated that there are senior Disney executives who would like to see Epic Games acquired and are simply waiting for the right moment. At the same time, there are apparently others inside the company who view that as a bad idea. Belloni also noted that Disney’s current CEO, Josh D’Amaro, is strongly supportive of the relationship between Disney and Epic Games, a relationship that has already included Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic as well as the expanding Disney presence inside Fortnite. In the end, though, the real obstacle is obvious: the deal only matters if Tim Sweeney ever decides he wants it.
Epic Games remains privately held, and Sweeney is still firmly in control, with the majority of the voting power. That means he would have to decide whether giving up that level of control is worth it before any acquisition could become realistic. If Disney really is waiting for the right moment, some outsiders might argue that the current climate looks more favorable than before: Epic’s recent layoffs, V-Buck price increases, and broader cost-cutting push all feed the narrative that the company may be going through a phase where takeover talk becomes easier to imagine. That still does not mean a deal is actually close.
The more interesting question may be what happens afterward if such a move ever became real. Would Unreal Engine continue as it does now, or would Disney suddenly find itself sitting on one of the most important pieces of technology in the games business? At that point, this would stop being a simple acquisition rumor and turn into a genuine industry shockwave.
Source: WCCFTech, Insider Gaming, The Walt Disney Company
