Epic Games is reportedly working on an Arc Raiders-like extraction shooter in partnership with Disney.
According to Bloomberg, the new project is one of several games currently in development, with the extraction shooter expected to launch in November. According to Bloomberg’s sources, it will be a “shooting game along the lines of Embark Studios’ hit Arc Raiders, but with Disney characters battling enemies until they can reach an extraction point.”
Anonymous sources allege some staff are concerned about the game’s quality and originality, and Bloomberg claims that some employees are worried about Epic’s pattern of “Version 0.5” releases.
Epic disputes Bloomberg’s reporting. Senior director of global communications, Liz Markham, said the claims were “not reflective of the ambitions of the Disney collaboration.”
“We are building a new games and entertainment universe of Disney experiences,” Markham said. “Epic’s timelines are aggressive and always have been. We’ve heavily moved developers onto projects with releases approaching, while smaller prototyping teams are working on further-off projects.”
A Disney spokesperson added: “We remain focused on our long-term collaboration with Epic which continues to have strong momentum, and our work to build a transformational games and entertainment universe remains unchanged”.
The Walt Disney Company invested $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games in February 2024, announcing plans for a major collaboration with Fortnite. Disney and Epic described the project as an “open, persistent, social universe” that gives fans the chance to “watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories” from across Disney’s portfolio, including Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and Avatar brands.
It wasn’t enough to save hundreds of jobs, however, as last month Epic Games laid off more than 1,000 employees after a “downturn in Fortnite engagement” led the company to “spend significantly more” than it makes.
