Epic Games is pushing back on claims that its Disney Fortnite project has lost momentum.
On August 4, The Wall Street Journal published a report stating that development on the $1.5 billion collaboration had slowed internally. Citing anonymous sources, the article claimed Disney had become hesitant about user-generated content and AI tools following a string of moderation issues and legal concerns.
The project, known internally as “Bulldog,” was announced in February 2024 as a long-term effort to build a persistent Disney universe inside Fortnite. The goal is to give players access to themed islands based on Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, all powered by Unreal Engine and Fortnite Creative.
That context set the stage for a rare public statement from Epic’s CEO.
Tim Sweeney says Disney Fortnite project is moving “10x faster than normal”
Later that day, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney directly disputed the WSJ report in a post on X, calling its claims inaccurate and unfair.
“The anonymous quote is BS,” Sweeney wrote. “The speed of Disney and Epic collaborations like Darth Vader has been awesome and is around 10x the ordinary speed of media company dealings in this business. We even provided a statement to the writer of this article saying so, but they chose not to print it.”
Sweeney’s post was brief but clear: Epic sees the Disney Fortnite universe not as stalled, but accelerating faster than typical cross-company deals.
The Wall Street Journal article had painted a different picture. In it, sources claimed Disney became cautious after a May 2025 incident where players manipulated an AI-powered Darth Vader into swearing.
Though the character’s voice model was officially licensed, the backlash was immediate. Epic patched the behavior, but SAG-AFTRA filed a charge soon after, accusing the company of replacing union voice work without agreement.
Internally, the issue reportedly caused Disney to rethink how much creative freedom it was comfortable giving players, especially when it came to iconic characters and intellectual property. Concerns over moderation, ownership, and liability were said to be slowing approvals.
Despite that, both companies are still publicly aligned on the vision. Speaking at Unreal Fest 2025, Disney executive Sean Shoptaw said the creator community will play “a foundational part” in building the project and emphasized that Disney wants fans to “build their own experiences with the characters and stories they love.”
If those plans hold, the result could be one of the most ambitious licensed worlds ever built inside a live service game. Right now, it’s slated for a Fall 2026 release.
