It was just two years ago that Walt Disney Co. placed a massive bet on Epic Games.<\/p>\n
At the time, the Burbank media giant announced a \u201cgames and entertainment universe\u201d<\/a> with the \u201cFortnite\u201d developer to expand the reach of Disney\u2019s franchises, particularly among the young people who play the online game. Disney also made a $1.5-billion investment in the company for a minority stake of an undisclosed percentage.<\/p>\n Recently, however, Epic Games has faced major financial challenges.<\/p>\n Last week, the Cary, N.C.-based company said it was laying off more than 1,000 employees and slashing $500 million in costs. As my colleague Cerys Davies reported, Epic Games Chief Executive Tim Sweeney attributed the cuts<\/a> to a downturn in \u201cFortnite\u201d user engagement that began last year. After the layoffs, a little more than 4,000 people will remain at the company. (The company has its Los Angeles lab in El Segundo at NantStudios\u2019 virtual production facility, which was founded by Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.)<\/p>\n In spite of the upheaval, Epic Games President Adam Sussman said the company is still committed to the Disney universe, saying in a statement that the vision is \u201cunchanged\u201d and the developer is \u201cexcited\u201d about the progress that\u2019s been made. Sources close to Disney confirmed the recent Epic Games layoffs would not affect Disney\u2019s project there.<\/p>\n That\u2019s good news for Disney because the House of Mouse has become increasingly entwined with the game developer.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with this universe connected to \u201cFortnite.\u201d The online game, which has a variety of modes, allows players to fight one another, build forts and explore the virtual world. <\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what role Disney characters will play in the game, as details have been sketchy. But Disney Chief Executive Josh D\u2019Amaro, who championed the deal with Epic Games when he ran the theme parks division, plainly wants to attract \u201cFortnite\u2019s\u201d young audience.<\/p>\n Disney has a key advantage over other studios given its strong intellectual property and recognizable franchises, including \u201cFrozen,\u201d \u201cStar Wars,\u201d Marvel\u2019s \u201cAvengers\u201d and Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story.\u201d <\/p>\n Although the company can reach viewers of all ages through its television shows and films, the aim is to cultivate long-lasting relationships with fans across Disney\u2019s businesses, including theme parks, cruise lines and stores.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing quite like it,\u201d D\u2019\u2019Amaro said of Disney\u2019s relationship with fans during a prerecorded message at the company\u2019s annual shareholders meeting this month. \u201cAnd all these years later, that connection has never been more relevant or more powerful than it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n By building a universe where young people can interact with Disney characters, play games and shop, the company can strengthen ties with its next generation of fans.<\/p>\n Already, other brands have been trying to capitalize on the popularity of \u201cFortnite,\u201d including Nike, Lego and even fried chicken chain Popeyes, all of which have done collaborations with the game. <\/p>\n Though \u201cFortnite\u201d is seeing a decline in user growth, the partnership still carries benefits for Disney, Eric Handler, media and entertainment analyst at Roth Capital, told me.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Fortnite\u2019 still has a mass audience of young boys and males, so it\u2019s a great way to reach young people,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s been very challenging to do otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond \u201cFortnite,\u201d Disney also relies on Epic Games\u2019 Unreal Engine \u2014 a powerful 3D computer graphics creation tool \u2014 to produce shows such as \u201cThe Mandalorian\u201d and create more than 15 theme park attractions, including the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride in the Star Wars: Galaxy\u2019s Edge land at Anaheim\u2019s Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World in Florida.<\/p>\n In film and TV production, Unreal Engine allows crews to transform a wall of LED screens into fantastical and interactive backdrops. That ability allows film crews to create an arid desert landscape without, say, going to Tunisia, as George Lucas did for \u201cStar Wars,\u201d or to shoot scenes with perfect lighting at any time of day. <\/p>\n As the technology advances due to artificial intelligence, the field of virtual production is only going to ramp up \u2014 and with it, Disney\u2019s need to continue collaborating with Epic Games.<\/p>\n PBS and major documentary co-producer Independent Television Service have launched a new YouTube channel focused on documentaries.<\/p>\n The debut of the \u201cPBS Documentaries\u201d channel comes after Congress voted last year to strip federal funding<\/a> from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, a nonprofit that administered funds for PBS TV affiliates and NPR radio stations, as well as from ITVS. Without the federal funding, the public broadcasting group\u2019s board of directors voted in January to dissolve the entity.<\/p>\n The clawback hit PBS and ITVS hard. In the aftermath, PBS\u2019 budget was cut by about 20%, while ITVS \u2014 known for documentary series such as \u201cAmerican Masters,\u201d \u201cFrontline\u201d and its flagship PBS show \u201cIndependent Lens\u201d \u2014 lost 86% of its funding.<\/p>\n By sharing resources and partnering on the YouTube channel, the two organizations want to send a signal that they\u2019re still here for the public and are trying to reach new and younger audiences where they\u2019re already consuming content.<\/p>\n \u201cThe need has never been greater for these types of documentaries,\u201d said Lisa Tawil, senior vice president of brand at ITVS. \u201cThe industry is definitely in a place where they\u2019re trying to figure out how to connect and how to rise above the fray, and we believe that the trust and the civic value that we bring is the most necessary piece right now.\u201d<\/p>\n The documentary business has been rough in recent years, which makes finding new audiences even more crucial. There are promising signs: Across all of PBS Digital Studios\u2019 channels on YouTube, nearly 80% of viewers are younger than 44.<\/p>\n \u201cYouTube is such a community-forward platform,\u201d said Maribel Lopez, head of PBS Digital Studios. Utilizing the platform\u2019s community-building tools will help \u201cto really connect with the viewers, build that long-term loyalty [that] is critical to us, collectively, as public media.\u201d<\/p>\nPBS documentaries on YouTube<\/h2>\n
Stuff We Wrote<\/h2>\n
Film shoots<\/h2>\n
Number of the week<\/h2>\n
![\"twenty-six](\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/0dcc50b\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/864x160+0+0\/resize\/320x59!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Ff0%2F2dc6ac5d439693d168b8b921d8db%2F260331-wideshot-numberoftheweek.png)
<\/picture> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n