Disney Understood the Power of Games. The Company Earned Billions of Dollars and Wants More

Disney is increasingly viewing games not as an addition to films and TV series, but as one of the key elements of its strategy. Over the past fiscal year, consumer spending on projects featuring the company's brands exceeded $4 billion.

The company also wants to move away from simple film adaptations. According to Sean Shoptaw, Disney's Head of Gaming and Digital Experiences, the future lies in original stories created specifically for games.

Disney already has 9 games and series with retail sales exceeding $1 billion. Among them is Kingdom Hearts. Disney and Pixar mobile projects have been downloaded over a billion times since 2014.

The company has high hopes for Marvel Rivals: the game has attracted 40 million players, 60% of whom are under 24 years old.

Disney and Epic Games have even more ambitious plans. The companies want to create a persistent, connected world that combines games, characters, stories, and user-generated content. For Disney, Fortnite is no longer just a game, but a major social entertainment platform.