The collaboration between Disney and Epic Games continues to grow exponentially. This time, the union between the Star Wars universe and Fortnite goes far beyond a simple skin or a limited-time event. Starting August 16, 2026, players can immerse themselves in Smugglers Gambit , a new island born directly from the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. This offering not only expands the battle royale's content but also establishes an unprecedented bridge between a physical experience and its digital continuation.
The idea is as simple as it is ambitious: what happens inside the attraction has direct consequences in the game. Visitors who board the Millennium Falcon at the parks can accept a special mission while waiting in line, collect crates during the ride, and, upon exiting, redeem those actions for rewards in Fortnite. To do this, it's necessary to link your MyDisney account with your Epic Games account, although there's also an alternative using a code for those who can't complete the linking process. The experience is included with park admission , at no additional cost, and is already available in both Anaheim and Orlando.
Smugglers Gambit: The new Fortnite island inspired by Millennium Falcon
Smugglers Gambit is the name of the island arriving in Fortnite with this collaboration. It's not an exact recreation of the attraction, but rather an expansion designed specifically for the game, with its own mechanics and a pace adapted to the digital format. Players become smugglers of the Outer Rim and explore the Mersa Veta station, a new location that serves as a base for completing missions across the planet Ord Ryla. The story revolves around Hondo Ohnaka , the character who already hosts the physical attraction, and who receives a new chapter created exclusively for this occasion.
The island offers cooperative missions, encounters with pirates, Imperial remnants, and dangerous wildlife, as well as a class system that allows players to level up and unlock equipment. Among the available rewards are the 2D Gambit loading screen and the Forsworn Trooper outfit, which is obtained by completing the attraction's mission. Smugglers Gambit was developed by Disney Games and Digital Entertainment , with the collaboration of Lucasfilm to ensure narrative consistency with the Star Wars universe.
How the connection between the attraction and the game works
The mechanism that links these two worlds is relatively simple, though it does require several steps. Visitors to Disneyland Park or Disney's Hollywood Studios must accept Hondo Ohnaka's special mission through the Disneyland or My Disney Experience app, preferably while waiting in line for the attraction. During the simulator ride, the crew must collect containers that are registered in the system. Upon completion, the app confirms that the mission has been completed and offers to log in with MyDisney to unlock the reward in Fortnite. Account linking is essential to receive the Forsworn Trooper outfit, though those unable to link accounts can enter a code in-game to claim the prize.
Disney has specified that, in addition to linking your account, you must have your phone's location permission set to "always on" and agree to allow the company to share certain data with Epic Games. Without these two requirements, the reward will not be credited. The promotion also includes other incentives: linking accounts before October 31, 2026, grants the Carbonite Fishstick back accessory, and entering the island unlocks an exclusive loading screen. The code to access Smugglers Gambit is 7474-2686-2725 , and the island can be played from anywhere in the world, although the rewards associated with the attraction are only available to those who physically visit it.
Unreal Engine technology as the basis for collaboration
One of the most interesting aspects of this initiative is the technological component. The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction was developed in Unreal Engine 5 by Walt Disney Imagineering, in collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic. Fortnite, meanwhile, uses UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite), a creation platform based on the same technology. This overlap has allowed many of the attraction's original assets to be directly reused on the Smugglers Gambit island, ensuring visual and narrative consistency between the two experiences. Ray Gresko, Senior Vice President of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment , emphasized that UEFN allows for designing for the story, not just the gameplay, and that the team was able to build a new setting with characters connected to the attraction.
The collaboration isn't new. Last May, the Star Wars IP Toolkit fueled a wave of franchise-based experiences within Fortnite, attracting nearly 8 million players in the first 72 hours. Now, with Smugglers Gambit, Disney and Epic Games are taking it a step further by connecting a physical attraction with a digital world. James Waugh, senior vice president of Lucasfilm , called the initiative "a pioneering example of how stories can flow between screens, theme park attractions, and video games."
The future of collaborations between theme parks and video games
This experience sets up a model that could be repeated in the future. Disney invested $1.500 billion in Epic Games in 2024, and the company has made it clear that its intention is to create a convergent entertainment ecosystem where stories are told across multiple formats. The fine print of the promotion indicates that, later on, data on purchases and in-park activity could be shared to offer personalized in-game experiences. The attraction doesn't end when the visitor gets off the ship , and that opens the door to future collaborations with other Disney attractions or franchises.
For now, Smugglers Gambit is available, and players can explore Mersa Veta Station, face pirates, and complete missions solo or with friends. The island doesn't require a visit to the parks to be enjoyed, although the exclusive rewards are tied to the physical experience. The game combines the best of both worlds : the immersion of a real attraction and the flexibility of an online video game to play with friends , creating an experience that's sure to captivate everyone.
With this initiative, Disney and Epic Games demonstrate that collaboration between physical and digital entertainment has enormous potential. The possibility that an action performed in a theme park can have consequences within a video game opens up a range of possibilities that, until now, have barely been explored. Smugglers Gambit is just the beginning of what could be a new way of understanding transmedia storytelling, where the boundaries between the tangible and the virtual become blurred. We'll have to keep an eye on the next moves of this alliance, because if Disney has proven anything, it's that it knows how to surprise its fans.