Disney has announced that they’re investing a whopping US$1.5 billion for a stake in Epic Games, according to Disney CEO Bob Iger (via press release).

This will be Disney’s biggest investment in the games industry to date.

In addition to being a world-class games experience and interoperating with Fortnite, the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. This will all be powered by Unreal Engine.

In a statement, Bob Iger said:

“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe.”

In a statement, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said:

“Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio. Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”

This is big news for the games industry, especially with a major conglomerate like Disney dipping their toes into the games industry more directly with this investment in Epic Games. We’ll have to wait and see the result of this investment in the near future.