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On Wednesday, Disney announced it would invest $1.5 billion to acquire a stake in Epic Games as part of its efforts to create a “globally connected entertainment universe.” fortnite”
Both Disney and Epic have provided plenty of details about what this entertainment universe will look like, but the announcement trailer shows a series of sequences. fortnite Islands featuring intellectual property related to Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and ESPN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf2bRcSIUSE
In a press release, Disney described a “permanent universe.” [that] Powered by Unreal Engine, we offer consumers numerous opportunities to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. ”
That universe sounds similar. lego fortniteis a new game mode released on December 7th that focuses on building structures and surviving in a world that looks like it’s made of Lego blocks.
What LEGO Fortnite means for marketers
Disney previously partnered with Epic to collaborate with Marvel. Star Wars skin fortnite.
Game advertisers are hoping Disney’s latest investment will lead to new game modes centered around its various IPs as Epic looks to pivot. fortnite Move to a social metaverse platform similar to Roblox. The timing of the investment is even more interesting, as Disney will be laying off its entire Metaverse division in March 2023. Epic also laid off about 830 people, or 16% of its workforce, in September last year.
Disney and Epic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“My hunch is that Disney will own the IP.” [related content] It’s coming,” said John Benjamin, co-founder and CEO of Moonrock Labs. “The amount of IP they got from the universe within Marvel, Star Warsetc. — it makes fortnite pretty smart place [to be]”
Given Disney’s gaming experience and vast IP, gaming advertisers, including Benjamin, believe that an investment of this size by Disney is a sign of strong interest from major brands in a platform and medium that has long resonated with young consumers. I think this is a drastic move.
Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged this reason Wednesday in response to an investor question during the company’s 2024 first-quarter earnings call.
“When you look at Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and even Millennials, and you look at how much total media viewing time they spend on video games, they spend as much time on video games as they do on TV and movies. was surprising to me,” he said. I was told not to.
“And we think this is a great way to bring that to life in games, just like we take IP from movies and TV and express it in the parks. And for us, this is a great way to bring it to life in games. It’s a way to get in the game with them with a billion dollar investment, and it’s a way to not only strengthen the partnership because you’re in the game, but also to actually build a world that doesn’t pose too much risk to the company. “
fortnite According to ActivePlayer.io, the average monthly player count over the past 30 days was 237 million, with a daily peak of 64 million.
Rachel Rakowski, global head of games at We Are Social, imagines Disney creating a virtual theme park. fortnite.
“See what the real Disney Parks are like, interact with your favorite characters, step into incredible worlds, and feel right at home. All within reach, both digitally and IRL.” ,” she said in a written statement. “There’s always a mountain to climb if you want your audience to not only believe in the game you’re making, but want to buy it.” fortnite It’s free to play on multiple platforms, so there are few barriers to entry. ”
She added that Disney’s investment in Epic is not limited to this. fortnite — It also gives media giants access to Unreal Engine.
“We can see a world where Unreal Engine plays a huge role in the imagination within the theme parks and even creates experiences that connect the virtual world with the Disney parks,” she said. “I could easily see an experience being created where you could ride a Toy Story ride at a Disney park and compete in real-time against someone else in the same challenge. fortnite universe. “
Disney’s investment in Epic validates other brands that have invested in games, Moonrock’s Benjaminen said. Given the amount of attention this deal will bring to the medium, he expects brands to start ignoring the question, “Should I be in the game?” Instead, you should start asking the question, “How do I go to market with my game?”
Avoiding that first question could begin to accelerate Adland’s ability to answer open questions such as which metrics are worth paying attention to on a gaming platform and whether it’s possible to link gaming to sales. No, he added.
Advertisers have long struggled to attribute gaming investments to sales due to limited measurement frameworks and the risk of equating correlation with causation.
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Brands are trying to find workarounds, but Hilton Hotels, which launched the first rewards program tied to Roblox gameplay in January, is still a work in progress.
Disney also appears to be interested in solving this problem, as Mr. Iger hypothesized on the earnings call that there may be an opportunity to sell both digital and physical products. fortnite.
He also expressed interest in the robust creator economy surrounding it. fortnite Your social media activity greatly contributes to the approval of game advertisers.
“At the heart of this deal is Disney’s intellectual property, and what intellectual property needs is attention, engagement and community,” said Irina Shames, Chief Commercial Officer of Loaded & Open Worlds. “Where do you find community? It’s in the creator ecosystem.”
Along with Roblox, Mine Craft, fortnite is popular among brands (though not as popular as Roblox). fortnite We typically host between 5 and 20 branded matches during each three-month season.
With so many brands prioritizing these three games and platforms, many game advertisers feel that these three games and platforms are oversaturated while many others are ignored. He has expressed that he is fed up with it.
Creators, live events, new platforms: Games advertisers share their New Year’s resolutions
Disney’s investment in Epic should help cut out much of the noise of a crowded game. And there is a possibility that it will attract even more attention. fortniteBrandon Freitag, head of creator monetization and co-founder of Loaded, believes niche titles will also benefit as the advertising industry focuses on gaming as a whole.
“For example, [the pandemic]when fortnite Just as there was a boom, the whole ecosystem boomed,” he said.
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