Fortnite's Star Wars: Smuggler's Gambit ties into a new Disney ride

Star Wars has returned to Fortnite in a new co-op Island, and this time the crossover runs in both directions. Star Wars: Smuggler's Gambit went live on Sunday, August 16 alongside the launch of the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run attraction at Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge parks in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California.

In the Fortnite Island, players work as Outer Rim smugglers on the planet Ord Ryla for Hondo Ohnaka, the pirate familiar from Clone Wars and Rebels. Squads start in the hub zone of Mersa Veta Station and take on missions billed as a route to becoming one of the Outer Rim's most infamous smugglers.

Three roles, on the ride and in the game

The Island borrows the ride's structure. On the attraction, a group pilots the Millennium Falcon through a mission for Ohnaka with each rider taking a job as pilot, gunner or engineer. Fortnite uses the same three roles, each with its own ability: pilots scan for threats, gunners call in a droid assistant, and engineers protect teammates with a restorative dome shield.

Epic Games noted that the ride "was built with Unreal Engine," which allowed assets from the attraction to be carried over into the game. Missions on Ord Ryla pit players against pirates, remnants of the Empire and hostile wildlife, with objectives ranging from destroying supply caches and recovering stolen cargo to a heist on an Imperial vault. Characters level up as they complete tasks, and three factions operating out of Mersa Veta Station run weapon and item vendors.

The cross-reward

Anyone can play Smuggler's Gambit in Fortnite, and doing so unlocks a special loading screen. The larger incentive is reserved for players who also visit a park: accepting Hondo Ohnaka's special mission through the My Disney Experience app before riding means a guest is, in Disney's phrasing, "detected on the attraction" and receives an exclusive in-game reward that includes the Forsworn Trooper outfit.

Disney says the ride "is included at no additional cost with valid theme park admission and is available to any guest who accepts the special mission." Both the Island and the attraction are available now.