Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
This is the first time I can recall that an IP tie-in felt more like the marketing money mattered more than whether or not the IP was appropriate for HHN. We'll see though. Not a huge deal overall.
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News Halloween Horror Nights 2026
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
You talking Fortnite? Never played it myself but it does seem a slightly odd choice
Wonder if, in the end, Disney gets a bit of the payment for the franchise...Fortnite Comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35 With All-New Freaky Fields Scare Zone
A Fortnitemares-inspired scare zone called Freaky Fields is coming to Halloween Horror Nights 35, placing guests inside a horror-themed battleground complete with the Battle Bus and familiar Fortnitemares characters. The event opens August 28 at Universal Orlando and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood, running select nights through November 1 at both parks.
Fortnite Comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35 With All-New Freaky Fields Scare Zone
Fortnite's Freaky Fields scare zone comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35, opening August 28 at Universal Orlando and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.www.wdwmagic.com
According to Perplexity...
Fortnite is still very popular in 2026, with widely cited estimates putting it at well over 100 million monthly players and roughly 230 million+ active players in recent reporting. It also remains a major cultural game thanks to frequent updates, events, and collaborations.explodingtopics+2
What that means
- It is not just “still alive”; it’s one of the biggest games in the world by player count and visibility.explodingtopics+1
- Popularity spikes around big live events, with some reports citing huge one-day and event concurrent-player peaks.9meters+1
- Its reach is boosted by cross-platform play and a free-to-play model, which keep the entry barrier low.sites.google+1
A practical answer
If you mean “popular compared with most games,” Fortnite is extremely popular. If you mean “as popular as at its peak,” it’s probably a bit less feverish than the 2018–2020 hype, but still firmly in the top tier of global games.9meters+1
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
It's not about "is it popular"? Fortnite is not a horror game like Five Nights at Freddy's, Fallout, or The Last of Us. Fortnite is a silly, very non-serious game. This scare zone is I guess being based on their annual in-game Halloween event.
In other words this is more like theming a scare zone to Rocket League on the basis that Rocket League does their own spooky layover for October. It's a bit of a stretch on whether or not this belongs at HHN, and these free-to-play games all rely entirely on marketing tie-ins wherever they can get one. That's why this comes off a little worse than other HHN IPs.
In other words this is more like theming a scare zone to Rocket League on the basis that Rocket League does their own spooky layover for October. It's a bit of a stretch on whether or not this belongs at HHN, and these free-to-play games all rely entirely on marketing tie-ins wherever they can get one. That's why this comes off a little worse than other HHN IPs.
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mergatroid
Well-Known Member
My friend who plays it was surprised when I told him and said that it wasn't a horror game. Hopefully they'll make it a good zone but does on the surface seem an odd choice.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
There's also a little bit of HHN having an identity crisis lately. Is it an event for mature adults? Is it for teens? Is it for everyone? Is it a super serious event or a tongue in cheek Halloween party?
HHN once again trying way too hard to appeal to zoomers. This has been an ongoing trend, and it's officially jumped the shark. I don't want to live in a world where I can't get a Bioshock house but I'm stuck with a Fortnite scarezone. What's next, Smash Bros.? Candy Crush?
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Fortnite has a significant adult base.
Just like Disney parks. Which people keep thinking "oh, it's for children." But without adult-only guests, the parks wouldn't be open on 'school days.'
Also, you really think Zoomers are supporting Candy Crush?
Fortnite is a game that's known specifically for being popular amongst children. Yes, I'm sure there are adults who play it, but you don't earn that sort of reputation without reason, nor would it make sense to assume Universal is trying to attract adults with this particular attraction. Somewhat ironically, Five Nights at Freddy's is also infamous for its strangely young fanbase, which I definitely witnessed making their presence felt last year, but at least it was a horror game if nothing else. There's literally no reason for this to be here other than attracting a younger demographic.
The parks would be open because there's always someone on vacation, even when school is in session. Obviously the parks have slow seasons, but it's not like out-of-town children and their families just disappear when the summer break ends. Although I'm hearing less and less of "Disney is for children" ever since the rise of the "Disney Adult" phenomenon. Not that this is necessarily a good thing...
I think zoomers are addicted to their phones. So yes, they're supporting mobile games.
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Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
The oldest Zoomers are currently 29 and Fortnite has been around for 10 years, so there's a lot of young adults that grew up with it now. But yeah, also lots of current teens.
HakunaMatata89
Premium Member
What a disappointing choice for HHN. Fortnite is not a horror game
Lizzy May Bee
Well-Known Member
...alright?Fortnite Comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35 With All-New Freaky Fields Scare Zone
A Fortnitemares-inspired scare zone called Freaky Fields is coming to Halloween Horror Nights 35, placing guests inside a horror-themed battleground complete with the Battle Bus and familiar Fortnitemares characters. The event opens August 28 at Universal Orlando and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood, running select nights through November 1 at both parks.
Fortnite Comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35 With All-New Freaky Fields Scare Zone
Fortnite's Freaky Fields scare zone comes to Halloween Horror Nights 35, opening August 28 at Universal Orlando and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Should be fun whatever it's origin. The only time I've been majorly disappointed at HHN was the other year when they had no scare zone at the front as such or anything infront of the Minions part. It fely just wrong and really odd entering and leaving with no real anything there.
Plummet
Well-Known Member
For me, this year is honestly super disappointing after a stacked roster imo last year. I had intended to go if there was a really solid property (last year for me was FNAF and Jason) this year, there was not one property that I was super fond of other than Killer Klowns. And the originals just don’t sound as interesting as last years to me.
last year, I will say I had a very bad experience and was the only time I’ve ever basically left a theme park/party before closing. It was so bad I had gotten a partial refund as the weather completely destroyed the day. But the houses I was able to go into were spectacular and one of a kind. A ton of effort was put into them and I was disappointed to see them taken down even though that’s the point, that’s just how good they were.
maxairmike
Well-Known Member
I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea, but I’m gonna give it a fair shot. Some horror properties don’t make for good horror experiences, and some non-horror ones do.
I've witnessed the former a number of times. Don't think I've ever seen the latter. I've seen some non-horror properties that made for interesting walkthroughs in some shape or form, but they have never been scary.
I always wait until I've gone to actually judge the event, especially as someone who is actively anti-IP for HHN, and so unlike the general public the more predictable experiences are never my more anticipated ones, but I must admit that this year's lineup, both IP and original, does sound particularly lacking on paper.
Dead2009
Horror Movie Guru
The demonic entity known that took over Nikki in Obsession is gonna be in the park
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
SPOILER WARNING:
Courtesy of VincentVision
features inside pictures of 3 houses, Hellraiser, Alien Abduction & H.R. Bloodengutz.
Courtesy of VincentVision
features inside pictures of 3 houses, Hellraiser, Alien Abduction & H.R. Bloodengutz.