Epic CEO defends Disney over Fortnite delays: ‘10x faster than others’

Highlights:

• Tim Sweeney rejects report claiming Epic staff were frustrated with Disney’s slow processes
  
• Wall Street Journal cited unnamed Epic executives critical of Disney’s approval pace
  
• Sweeney says Disney–Epic collaborations are 10x faster than typical media deals
  
• Fortnite's Darth Vader AI cited in report as an example of delayed sign-off
  
• Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games in February 2024 for long-term collaboration
  

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly denied claims that senior staff at his company were frustrated by slow decision-making processes at The Walt Disney Company.

The Wall Street Journal published comments from unnamed Epic Games executives who allegedly complained about delays caused by Disney’s multi-layered approval system. The report specifically referenced the rollout of an AI-controlled Darth Vader character in Fortnite, which interacted with around 10 million players during a limited-time deployment.

Sweeney calls claims “BS”

Responding to the article on X (formerly Twitter), Sweeney dismissed the allegations, stating:

“The anonymous quote is BS. 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.”

He added that Epic had provided a supportive on-the-record statement to the Wall Street Journal, but it was not included in the article.

A growing partnership

The comments follow the announcement of a major investment and collaboration between the two companies earlier this year. In February 2024, Disney acquired a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games.

At the time, both companies said they were working on building an “open, persistent, social universe” within Fortnite. The project aims to allow users to watch, shop, and interact with characters and stories from Disney’s vast portfolio, including Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Avatar properties.

The initiative is considered a long-term effort to expand the Fortnite ecosystem into broader entertainment and commerce experiences.