Epic games and Disney's ongoing partnership looks like it's about to reach a new level after reports that the two companies are working on an extraction shooter surfaced a few days ago. As one of the most powerful media companies in the world, Disney investing $1.5 billion in Epic Games in February was not that surprising. However, the co-op that leans into extraction shooter territory is rather unexpected.
I don't really know how to feel about these reports. As a kid who grew up with a steady stream of Disney movies, certain franchises still fill me with a lot of nostalgia. On the flip side, however, Disney fatigue is very real, especially when the company buys franchises like Marvel and Star Wars and releasing a seemingly non-stop stream of spin-offs and new main chapters. Regardless of how you feel about Disney's vice grip on pop culture, there's no arguing that the company knows how to make money. Jumping into the fast-growing world of extraction shooters is a move that may be surprising, but it also makes a lot of sense. This will require a very delicate balancing act that may prove much easier said than done.
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Disney and Epic Games' rumored Extraction Shooter needs to tread carefully with its IP
Thanks to recent hits like ARC Raiders and Marathonextraction shooters are starting to gain traction as a genre that could potentially be the next big trend in gaming. The battle royale boom that has overshadowed the industry for the past decade has seemingly ended, and Fortnite won the race. In contrast, Epic Games' success with Fortnite looks like it may be facing a bit of a downturn. Just recently, 1,000 jobs were cut in layoffs at Epic Games. The company cited a declining player base as one of the reasons why, and the reports about this mystery extraction shooter suggest that Epic Games is looking for a new success story.
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A Disney and Epic Games extraction shooter has plenty of franchises and characters to work with, but it also presents the project's biggest problem. While the Disney brand is filled with possibilities, only a few of the company's many franchises really fit the genre of extraction. What's even more challenging is that the series that fit the atmosphere run the risk of being original or boring iterations compared to other game adaptations within these franchises.
Marvel and Star Wars are the obvious choices, but they already have tons of game adaptations
A Marvel or Star Wars Extraction shooter definitely has potential to work well. The only problem is that this puts both brands in competition with themselves. Games like Marvel Rivals and the coming Marvel Token: Fighting Soldiers and Marvel's Wolverine can take up a lot of space. When it comes to Star Warsthere are even more to choose from. The Star Wars Jedi series, Star Wars Outlawsand a variety of development projects that include Zero company, Galactic Racer, Eclipse, The fate of the old republicand even VERTEBRAE remake is on the way. There's lots of new stuff Star Wars scheduled games, and adding one more to the pile might be overkill.
Fortnite's Marvel and Star Wars Crossovers leave an extraction game in a tough spot
It's clear that Epic Games knows how to manage Marvel and Star Wars well, but an extraction shooter with the same skin design found in Fortnite maybe just feels more like a new mode than a fresh game worth engaging with. Star Wars and Marvel have been some of Fortnitebest crossovers. An extraction shooter may play differently than a battle royale or special franchise-specific modes, but if the game has the same Fortnite-style art direction, then it won't feel so new.
Thanks to recent hits like ARC Raiders and Marathonextraction shooters are starting to gain traction as a genre that could potentially be the next big trend in gaming.
Think Beauty and the BeastBelle or Mickey Mouse and Goofy shooting another Disney character with a gun. See, it's weird. If Disney chooses their original characters it would at least stand out more than Star Wars or Marvel. However, Disney is so protective of its own IP that it may be unlikely that the company will allow actual weapons to be used in the game. Fortnite isn't gory by any means, but how an extraction shooter handles “violence” is likely hotly debated by Disney and Epic Games.
I could see a scenario that made Disney take one Splatoon-like approach where players fight with non-violent weapons. Each character can also have weapons specific to their own franchise. For example, Buzz Lightyear can use the laser mounted on his wrist or Zurg's blaster. Such adjustments would make much more sense, but this is pure speculation at this point. Disney has been a bit more lenient with its IP when it comes to Fortnite crossovers, so the company and Epic Games could surprise fans by allowing actual weapons in an extraction shooter. Speaking of Toy Story characters, some of the latest Disney cosmetics coming to Battle Royale are Fortnite's Buzz Lightyear skin and Hercules. So apparently Disney has no problem with some characters using a gun. However, big mascots like Mickey Mouse can be a different story.
Epic Games and Disney have yet to lift the veil on their secret extraction game
According to the original Bloomberg report, this project could be much longer than expected. The report featured both former and current Epic Games employees who claimed that the game was actively undergoing internal review. There's even a chance it could come out as early as November this year. This would probably be a bad idea, because GTA 6s release date is sure to occupy the lives of many gamers, but only time will tell. There are plenty of younger gamers who are too young to play a rockstar crime game, so an extraction game filled with Disney fan favorite characters could actually be Epic Games' next big thing.
