2024 has already begun with a huge bang, as Mickey Mouse has escaped the clutches of Disney copyright and entered the public domain in the US on January 1st, 2024. However, it doesn’t mean everyone can do whatever they want with the iconic character, as it is only the first version released a century earlier in Steamboat Willie and a silent version of Plane Crazy that is now non-copyrighted.
Mickey Mouse being available in the public domain would provide a lot of opportunities to artists. Public Domain is when a creative work doesn’t have any exclusive intellectual property rights, giving others the freedom to modify or use it as they like without taking permission from the original creator.
Likewise, the iconic Disney mouse being public has brought one of the biggest dreams of Fortnite fans a step closer. Fans have been eagerly waiting for a collaboration between their beloved battle royale and Mickey Mouse. However, these kinds of collaborations are not so easy to pull off as both Epic and Disney needed to consider the copyrights and brand image.
Steamboat Willie skin would go hard pic.twitter.com/lW0F1fTDAi
— Randomguy (@darkvoyagerfan) January 1, 2024
Here’s my concept for Fortnite x Steamboat Willie
Outfit: Steamboat Willie
Backbling: Wheel
Pickaxe: Smoke Stack
Emote: Whistle pic.twitter.com/KiJbzh3h1e— Mae (@VisuaIMaisie) January 1, 2024
However, Epic Games can now work with Mickey Mouse without worrying about Disney copyright. If they come up with a skin based on the century-old version of the iconic Disney mouse, it could be the first black and white skin to feature in the game. Even fans are quite excited about getting a monochromatic Mickey Mouse skin in Fortnite.
Disney can. They can disregard all further collaborations if they release him from public domain.
They literally can say “oh you put him in just cause he’s in public domain without asking us? Well we won’t collaborate anymore. No future collabs— Pog Duck (@PoggersDuck) January 1, 2024
but disney is family friendly and as far as i know there are characters in fortnite that are not quite suitable for disney
And this would be a big thing— SPEECHLE55 (@gmtimeless) January 1, 2024
Wait so if the original had the red shorts and yellow shoes in the promotional art for in it does that mean you can add red shorts or no. Just as long as Mickey himself is black and white?
— Caleb Smith (@falcon58g) January 2, 2024
Despite the excitement about a possible Fortnite x Mickey Mouse collaboration, some fans are worried about it. They pointed out how Disney might have issues with their iconic family-friendly mouse going around with a gun to eliminate other players. Meanwhile, some fans are not in favor of a monochromatic Mickey and wonder if they can get the colored version.
Has Mickey Mouse appeared in non-Disney video games?
Aside from movies and TV shows, Mickey Mouse has appeared in many video games, but all they were by Disney or in collaboration with them. However, up until now, the character has never appeared in any games not related to Disney. Still, that won’t remain accurate for much longer as the iconic cartoon mouse is set to make its first non-Disney appearance.
The independent game developers Nightmare Forge Games announced their upcoming 1-4 player survival horror co-op title, Infestation 88. This game would be set in 1988 when an outbreak of vermin morphed into something far more sinister. The game’s teaser revealed a monstrous Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse.
The developers are currently working on this video game and expect it to be released in 2024. However, they have promised to offer private and public lobbies, character customization, scaling enemy behavior, and DLSS support in their upcoming horror game. This would encourage other developers to use the renowned Disney character in their future projects.
