Disney and Epic Games are taking their partnership into the physical world with a new experience that lets visitors to a Star Wars theme park ride unlock an exclusive item in Fortnite.
On Saturday, Disney and Epic Games unveiled Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Fortnite, a collaboration that connects the physical ride with a digital experience. Visitors to the Smuggler’s Run attraction at the company’s theme parks in Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California, can accept a special mission while waiting in line. Completing the mission earns them a unique Forsworn Trooper Outfit in a newly created Fortnite adventure called Smugglers Gambit, set in the same Star Wars universe.
“Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Fortnite marks the first time this attraction has reached beyond its physical walls into a connected game world, a story that starts in a queue in Orlando or Anaheim can now continue on a screen almost anywhere,” said Sean Shoptaw, executive vp of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment. “Smugglers Gambit, built in-house by an incredibly talented team, is an immersive, high-quality game, and together these experiences reflect our ambition to connect stories and worlds across formats into one converged entertainment ecosystem.”
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is one of two flagship rides in the Galaxy’s Edge Star Wars lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Guests work together to pilot Han Salo’s famous spacecraft. The ride’s cockpit technology was originally built using Epic’s Unreal Engine, which allows many assets from the ride to appear in Smugglers Gambit.
“Building on Epic’s technology, Disney’s Imagineers are shaping the future of interactive entertainment, where an experience goes from the physical world into Fortnite,” said Adam Sussman, president of Epic Games. “Whether you’re at a Disney Park or playing Fortnite with your friends, fans have new ways to keep their Star Wars adventures going. This is only the beginning of what’s possible when world-class storytellers bring their creativity into Fortnite.”
Disney is an investor in Epic Games, and the two companies have been developing a new world that will connect to Fortnite featuring Disney’s beloved characters. Until now, that collaboration had taken the form of special seasons and minigames within Fortnite, highlighting characters from Star Wars, Marvel, The Simpsons, and other intellectual properties.
This collaboration marks the first time the partnership has extended into the real world, bringing a touch of video game magic to Disney’s parks and theme park magic to the video game.
