Josh D’Amaro Named Disney CEO — Expect Bigger Bets on Parks, Games, and Immersive Tech

This caught my attention because Disney has often split the difference between studio storytelling and experiential businesses; naming Josh D’Amaro signals a clear tilt toward experiences, parks, and gaming as major growth levers rather than a pure streaming-first play.

Josh D’Amaro Named CEO of The Walt Disney Company – Creative Chief Dana Walden to Report to Him

• Unanimous board pick: D’Amaro will become CEO after Disney’s annual meeting on March 18, 2026; Bob Iger stays on as senior advisor and board member through Dec. 31, 2026.
• Creative leadership reshuffle: Dana Walden is promoted to president and chief creative officer, reporting to D’Amaro.
• Strategic focus: Expect heavier investment in parks-driven experiences, video games (notably the Epic/Fortnite tie-up), and studio-technology synergies.
• Signal to markets and creators: The move prioritizes experiential IP monetization and immersive tech over purely streaming-first strategies.

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Publisher|The Walt Disney Company
Release Date|March 18, 2026
Category|Corporate leadership / Entertainment
Platform|Company-wide
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The board’s unanimous decision to elevate Josh D’Amaro – long the public favorite for the role – removes months of speculation about Disney’s next direction. D’Amaro, who joined Disney in 1998 and runs Disney Experiences (parks, resorts, cruises, consumer products), has been explicit about giving gaming a bigger seat at the table. That makes this more than a personnel change: it’s a strategic pivot.

Chairman James Gorman’s statement framed D’Amaro as the leader who can combine growth discipline with creative stewardship. Practically speaking, D’Amaro brings deep operational chops running the company’s highest-margin businesses (theme parks and resorts) and a willingness to lean into partnerships — notably the $1.5 billion Epic Games investment tied to Fortnite projects and broader Unreal Engine uses.

Dana Walden’s elevation to president and chief creative officer — reporting to D’Amaro — is critical. Walden is a veteran studio executive, and her new role centralizes creative oversight across Disney’s vast IP portfolio. That reporting line suggests creative decisions will be closely coordinated with experiential and technology initiatives rather than siloed in studios or streaming.

Why gaming and immersive tech matter to Disney’s future

Disney’s past attempts at internal game publishing (Disney Interactive Studios, Disney Infinity) were mixed to poor; the company settled into a licensing-first model for years. D’Amaro’s plan is different: invest directly in platform partners (Epic) and integrate game tech into filmmaking and park experiences. Unreal Engine is already used for LED-volume production (The Mandalorian), and Fortnite offers a massive social platform where Disney can stage branded, interactive experiences at scale.

That approach has upside: better control of how IP is repurposed, new recurring revenue from in-game monetization, and deeper cross-sell between parks, streaming, and games. But it carries risk — big investments in partnerships don’t guarantee hit experiences, and creating a coherent “virtual Disney World” inside a live-service game is creatively and technically complex.

What to watch next

• How quickly D’Amaro and Walden define clear ownership for cross-platform projects — will studios, games, and parks have shared roadmaps or competing priorities?
• Concrete announcements from the Disney x Epic/Fortnite collaboration beyond brand overlays — are there live, persistent worlds or episodic events in development?
• Whether Disney will rebuild internal game development capabilities or double down on strategic investments/licensing.
• Market reaction: investors will test whether this leadership shift improves revenue mix and margins by leaning into high-margin experiences and in-game monetization.

Bob Iger staying on as senior advisor and board member through the end of 2026 gives D’Amaro runway with institutional knowledge and investor confidence. It also indicates continuity rather than a hard break — expect the first year to be evolutionary, not revolutionary, but with clear emphasis on partnerships and experiential expansion.

What this means for fans, gamers, and creators

• Fans: more integrated experiences tying parks, shows, and digital spaces together — potentially new interactive storytelling moments in Fortnite and beyond.
• Gamers: Greater Disney presence in live-service platforms and possibly new AAA collaborations, though sequels to old licensed games are not guaranteed.
• Creators: Walden’s role could streamline IP use across teams, making cross-medium projects faster but also subject to centralized creative strategy.
• Shareholders: If D’Amaro can expand high-margin experiences and monetize IP across tech platforms, the business case is stronger — but execution matters.

There’s reason for guarded optimism: D’Amaro understands large-scale operations and experiential revenue. The real test will be turning tech partnerships and brand integrations into repeatable hits rather than one-off spectacles. As a longtime watcher of entertainment and gaming crossovers, I’m curious to see whether Disney can translate park-floor storytelling into compelling, persistent digital spaces without diluting the brand.

TL;DR

Josh D’Amaro will take over as Disney CEO on March 18, 2026, with Dana Walden as president and chief creative officer. The move signals a strategic push toward parks, gaming, and immersive tech partnerships (notably Epic/Fortnite) to drive growth — promising for experience-driven revenue but dependent on tight creative coordination and successful execution.