A new extraction shooter from Epic Games is reportedly in the works, according to a report by Bloomberg. The game will be similar to other recent extraction shooters like ARC Raiders in terms of gameplay, though this title will feature Disney characters–a wild enough concept to immediately attract mass attention (and mockery) on social media.
Epic Games has been featured in quite a few headlines recently, primarily due to their mass layoffs in March and the rising cost of V-Bucks in Fortnite. Now, they’re back with a new title in which beloved Disney characters battle for resources and survival through extraction.
Disney characters will feature in a new extraction shooter
According to the report from Bloomberg, Epic Games is aiming for a comeback story after recent Fortnite disappointments with three games currently in development at the studio, in partnership with Disney. The star of these untitled–and officially unannounced–titles is, of course, the extraction shooter, though any details beyond the premise are still unknown. In fact, it’s equally possible at this stage that the game becomes a game within Fortnite itself rather than a standalone project.
The small piece of information from Bloomberg does confirm that the Disney characters would not battle each other, but instead fight “enemies” as they get to an extraction point, which does better toe the line of the meticulously curated image of Disney’s most popular assets.
While all the attention is on that title, internal reviewers have “expressed concerns that the game mechanics are not very original” but, since it’s so early in development, they’re “optimistic that Epic will get it right by the launch date.”
The Mouse has featured in games before
Mickey Mouse and friends are no strangers to video games, like the famous Kingdom Hearts series, but have traditionally been regulated to extremely family friendly scenarios and settings. While the comparison to ARC Raiders is likely only due to the basic premise of an extraction shooter, the very concept of Goofy mowing down hostiles to loot for weapon attachments has drawn a fair amount of derision online.
Even if the game doesn’t turn out to be quite as comedic as the premise promises, some users have had clever ideas for what the game could be. User blogoman on Reddit suggested a Toy Story focus, writing, “Hear me out: you play as the aliens from Toy Story and you finish extraction by being picked up by the claw” while ThatmodderGrim joked, “But think about it, Gaston can help me carry so much loot out!” Despite the japes, the overwheming response to this future title has mostly been some variant of “but why”.
While the phrase “Disney characters” does immediately conjure images of princesses and woodland critters, it’s more likely that this game will feature IPs owned by Disney, like Star Wars or Marvel. Given the success of Marvel Rivals, it’s clear that these characters are a huge draw to some audiences, so perhaps Epic’s extraction shooter has more of a future than people might expect.
