Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Games announced a new crossover today at the D23 Expo. It connects Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run to a brand-new Star Wars island in Fortnite called Smugglers Gambit. Additionally, guests who link their Disney account to their Epic Games account will unlock a bonus mode inside the attraction. Rewards will carry over between the ride and the game in both directions. Here’s the latest!
Smugglers Run x Fortnite
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- What the new Smugglers Run and Fortnite crossover includes
- How the connected experience works between the ride and the game
- When the update launches at Walt Disney World and Disneyland
Disney and Epic Games Announce Connected Experience
The announcement came during a Walt Disney Imagineering panel at the D23 Expo. Imagineers showed a trailer revealing the crossover. Guests who link their accounts at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will get a special mission briefing from Hondo Ohnaka. They’ll also find additional details inside the cockpit not present in the standard ride experience.
Crates collected during the mission carry a reward home, too. Guests will find that reward waiting for them in Fortnite once they return.
Disney and Epic Games first announced their broader partnership in 2024. Imagineering described this crossover as an early example of how that partnership will connect virtual experiences at home to physical experiences in the parks.
A New Star Wars Island Built With Lucasfilm
Smugglers Gambit is a new Star Wars island in Fortnite. Disney’s games team developed it in close collaboration with Lucasfilm. The island introduces a new planet in the Star Wars galaxy, centered on a location called the Mers Veta Station. Guests will meet new characters they can team up with or against, take on quests across the surrounding region, join co-op missions, and battle pirates, Imperial remnants, and wildlife.
Loot from crates opened during the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission carries over into Smugglers Gambit. That includes a Forsworn Trooper outfit and credits players can use to purchase and upgrade gear in the game. The connection runs the other direction as well, as progression earned in Smugglers Gambit affects scoring back on the Smugglers Run attraction.
Imagineering said the ambition to link park storytelling with an at-home experience dates back to 2014, at the earliest development of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The game and the attraction update were developed in parallel. Epic Games’ internal team worked alongside Imagineering throughout the process.
Launch Timing
Smugglers Gambit and the connected bonus mode on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run launch tomorrow at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
A new Mandalorian and Grogu story debuted on the ride earlier this year. Smugglers Gambit now becomes the next addition layered onto that same relaunched attraction.
Story So Far
- SXSW 2025: Disney confirmed the Mandalorian update to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run would debut May 22nd, 2026
- May 2026: Disney debuted a new pre-show tied to the Mandalorian and Grogu update ahead of the attraction’s relaunch
- July 2026: Imagineering shared a behind-the-scenes look at the 80-page script written for the Mandalorian and Grogu update
- August 15th, 2026: Disney and Epic Games announced the Smugglers Gambit crossover at D23 Expo
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!