Mickey Mouse might finally debut in Fortnite as Disney’s copyright expires after 95 years, and the OG character enters public domain

Is Mickey Mouse making his way into popular battle royale Fortnite after Disney's copyright over the original expires?

Mickey Mouse might finally debut in Fortnite as Disney’s copyright expires after 95 years, and the OG character enters public domain

Image via: Epic Games

Epic Games has done a great job incorporating mainstream characters and personalities into their hit battle royale. The game has included many popular fictional characters, such as Naruto, Invincibles, and DC. Despite incorporating MCU characters, Epic Games has never had original Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse in Fortnite. 

The game’s developers have even been able to incorporate real-life personalities such as Lewis Hamilton and Eminem into Fortnite. However, including original Disney characters such as Donald Duck, Goofy, or Mickey Mouse in Fortnite never occurred. This could be due to negotiation disputes between Fortnite and Disney. 

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However, Epic Games may not need to go through Disney anymore. According to United States copyright laws, copyrighted works are only protected for 95 years from release. After this time period, the works become part of the public domain. They may be freely used, shared, and built upon by anyone without permission or the payment of royalties.

In 2024, many copyrighted works published in 1928 will enter the public domain after their 95-year tenure expires. Steamboat Willie, the first-ever movie featuring the Mickey Mouse character created by Walt Disney, also came out the same year. Hence, the beloved character can now be used by game developers such as Fortnite however they please.

Epic Games is known to add other fictional characters to their games constantly. Mickey Mouse is surely a character that fans would love to cosplay while diving into the battle royale. However, if Mickey Mouse in Fortnite becomes a reality, it would be with a slight twist. The Mickey Mouse featured in Steamboat Willie is a black-and-white version of the character. 

Mickey Mouse Steamboat Willie

This was introduced years before the modern Mickey Mouse fans know and love it today. Even if Mickey Mouse is added to Fortnite, it would not be the newer version of the character famous in today’s times.

While it would still be Mickey Mouse, the skin would have to be completely black and white to not interfere with the copyright of today’s version of the character. 

It is also unlikely that Epic Games would want to include the character without properly consulting Disney first. Thanks to their Marvel crossovers, they have a good relationship with the company. The developers would want to refrain from spoiling that. If Disney does agree to the proposal, fans will likely see the newer version of the character anyway.

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