{
  "id": 1147954,
  "title": "'A first step, not a finish line' — Disney and Epic Games have connected Disney World’s and Disneyland’s Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run to a brand-new Star Wars adventure in Fortnite",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/a-first-step-not-a-finish-line-disney-and-epic-games-have-connected",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-15T23:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/a-first-step-not-a-finish-line-disney-and-epic-games-have-connected-disney-worlds-and-disneylands-millennium-falcon-smugglers-run-to-a-brand-new-star-wars-adventure-in-fortnite"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Disney and Epic Games have announced a new partnership that merges a physical Disneyland and Disney World attraction with a Fortnite game. The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction at both parks will now be linked to a Fortnite island called Smugglers Gambit. When guests ride the physical attraction, they can earn rewards in the game and carry over progress and relationships with characters to their Fortnite gameplay. The technical connection between the two experiences is made possible by a shared foundation built using Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite. Disney's VP of Production, Julia Humphreys, described the partnership as a \"first step and not a finish line,\" with the goal of creating a story that continues beyond the park visit.",
  "summary": "Disney and Epic finally make their long-promised connected universe tangible, linking Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disney parks to a new Fortnite experience and laying the groundwork for deeper connections between Disney’s rides and games.",
  "key_points": [
    "Disney and Epic Games partner to connect physical attraction with Fortnite game.",
    "Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disney parks linked to Smugglers Gambit island.",
    "Partnership aims to create ongoing story beyond park visit."
  ],
  "editors_take": "This partnership between Disney and Epic Games creates a continuous story experience that bridges physical theme park attractions and virtual gameplay, allowing visitors to carry over progress and relationships across both.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNET",
        "title": "Disney’s Millennium Falcon Ride Activates Fortnite In-Game Rewards",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/disneys-millennium-falcon-ride-activates-fortnite-in-game-rewards",
        "published": "2026-08-16T00:07:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}