Despite developing a "persistent universe" in Fortnite, Disney seemingly isn't comfortable with all its characters using guns in a battle royale full of guns

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Disney may be developing an increasingly close relationship with Fortnite, but that seemingly doesn't mean we can expect every fan-favorite character to join the battle royale with a gun in tow.

Disney-owned characters had already been part of Fortnite for some time, but in February, it was announced that Disney had bought a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, in a move that would also see the two collaborate on a new "persistent universe." Since that announcement, we've seen a Fortnite-centric D23 stream hosted within the game itself, another Marvel-focused season, and brand new skins including some of The Incredibles.

In a new interview with The Verge, Epic Games executive vice president Saxs Persson says Disney wants a place for "all things Disney," and "they want to be part of an ecosystem we've built." All that would add up with the sorts of things we've seen the two collaborate on so far, but Persson implies that the company isn't totally comfortable with all of its beloved characters running around with guns, despite being in a game which has a primary focus on its battle royale mode, which features many, many guns.

"Not every outfit will be able to do everything," Persson explains. "A [Lego] minifig doesn't hold a gun. Brands should be able to enforce the brand guidelines to the degree that they're comfortable with that brand being associated with particular ratings."

As Persson touches on, Fortnite has evolved to the point where even though the battle royale mode is still the star of the show, there are other ways to play including the Lego sandbox mode, and the Fortnite Festival rhythm game. Cosmetics and item shop releases for those modes, like in-game Lego kits, are already a thing, so it's not a massive stretch to suggest some skins could be released that can't be used in battle royale.

We'll just have to see where Disney might choose to draw that line. Clearly, there's no issue with Elastigirl, Iron Man, or Davy Jones running around with pistols, but would the company feel the same about Donald Duck pulling out a shotgun and going for a victory royale? Perhaps not, as Persson adds: "Some IPs are not teen IPs or mature IPs. They are E for everyone IPs."

While you're here, be sure to check out our full guide to Fortnite quests in Chapter 5: Season 4.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.