Epic Games creative director Donald Mustard, who served as the driving force behind Fortnite, has reportedly joined AGBO, the Los Angeles-based production company founded by Avengers: Infinity War / Endgame directors, Anthony and Joe Russo.
Per investigation from Axios, Mustard is now listed as a partner under the Team segment of the AGBO website, with his description calling him the “creative visionary behind some of the most profitable and groundbreaking entertainment franchises in history.” It mentions his contributions to making Fortnite a global powerhouse, as well as collaborations with celebrities like Travis Scott, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ariana Grande, and J.J. Abrams.
These achievements are notable on multiple fronts, but seem to be highly relevant to AGBO, as the Russo Brothers have previously expressed an interest in breaking new ground in the world of video games.
Read: Epic Games is laying off 870 staff, around 16% of workforce
As Axios notes, video game company Nexon bought a minority stake in the company, worth USD $400 million, in 2022 – with the Russos labelling this investment an opportunity to explore the “convergence of franchise filmmaking and games with a global reach.”
Also of note is that Joe Russo and Mustard took part in a joint talk at DICE 2022, where the game and film industries were described as “chocolate and peanut butter” in that where they merged, there were rich storytelling opportunities. During the same talk, Russo reportedly described a desire to pursue riskier creative ventures in future.
While AGBO, the Russos, and Mustard have not confirmed their partnership, it would certainly align with the previously-expressed desire of AGBO to explore new mediums, and new ideas in storytelling. Per Axios, representatives from AGBO have declined to comment on the website’s reporting, and Mustard himself did not reply in time for article publication.
For now, it’s a matter of staying patient, and waiting for Mustard and the Russos to officially announce their next steps, and whether AGBO will make a leap from supporting Hollywood film productions to the world of video games.
