Disney, Epic Launch ‘ESPN Football Island’ Experience Online

The first big play from Disney following February’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games is “ESPN Football Island,” available now as part of the “Fortnite” social gaming platform. The new sports-themed experience is designed to get football in front of younger fans. Games include navigating an obstacle course and “high-intensity box fights,” with the main action centering on “Touchdown Rush,” where players “team up with friends and enter the stadium to navigate rocky terrain, a lava moat, and the other team,” according to ESPN. The experience includes participation from ESPN announcers and will soon feature regular updates highlighting the current season.

The venture is The Walt Disney Company’s “way to gamify the sports network’s slogan of ‘serving sports fans anytime, anywhere,’” reports Variety.

The strategy approaches this goal “through engaging games on a platform we know resonates with the next generation of sports fans,” explains ESPN VP of Sports Business Development and Innovation Kevin Lopes in a news announcement.

“Fans entering ‘ESPN Football Island’ will be welcomed by ESPN ‘SportsCenter’ anchors Randy Scott and Gary Striewski, and players will also hear the announcer talents of ‘SportsCenter’ and NHL host Arda Öcal,” ESPN notes.

The virtual venue offers “persistent progression and exclusive island-specific unlockable cosmetics,” with challenges and minigames in addition to the main attraction: “Touchdown Rush,” a multiplayer competition that leverages the “payload push” game mode that is also an inherent aspect of football.

VentureBeat says Disney views “Fortnite” as the precursor to the multiverse, and wants its franchises, including ESPN sports, to be there. In February, Disney CEO Bob Iger told analysts the company’s investment in Epic — reported at a nine percent stake, though neither party quantified the stake — as part of a “multiyear project” of building a new gaming universe.

The online gaming experience “was developed using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) in collaboration between ESPN, Disney Games, Epic Games and Meta4 Interactive,” per Variety. Disney’s new sports-themed island can be accessed by searching “ESPN” in “Fortnite” or entering map code 4481-0077-4190.

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