Disney Overhauls Millennium Falcon Ride with Major Update
Disney Imagineers overhauled the Millennium Falcon ride in Disneyland and Hollywood Studios with a major update that added new missions to the popular attraction. While initially viewed as a minor update, the revamp brought significant complexity to the ride, allowing riders to choose between different worlds for their adventure.
The update involved upgrading every one of the 224 graphics cards to Nvidia's Blackwell card and updating the game to Unreal Engine 5, making the platform more flexible. The testing environment also received an upgrade. A live demo at D23 showcased the developer console used to test the ride, featuring virtual buttons and screens to simulate cockpit functions.
The Imagineers worked overnight for weeks to update the hardware and software with zero downtime, ensuring the ride remained operational throughout the process. The success of this update is significant, as it future-proofs the ride for potential future upgrades and new experiences, including a partnership with Fortnite that allows gameplay in Smuggler's Run to carry over.