Enough Universal, Enough Fortnite, Enough Halloween
Fortnitemares and ICE!'s expansion both license IP to buy new audiences. The hard part is keeping the one you have
Where is your next new guest coming from?
Universal is banking on gamers. Fortnitemares is coming to Halloween Horror Nights at both Orlando and Hollywood this fall as a scare zone, a physical walkthrough translation of the game’s annual fall event, complete with the Battle Bus, familiar Fortnitemares characters, and a few additions exclusive to HHN.
Fortnite was the number one most-played console game in the United States in 2025 across both PlayStation and Xbox. Lifetime registered players top 650 million, and Epic confirmed more than 100 million monthly players at a 2023 peak. Its in-game events are the closest thing gaming has to stadium concerts, and the Remix finale in November 2024 drew 14.3 million concurrent players.
Universal is licensing a fandom larger than HHN’s, and it’s all about audience acquisition. The license exists to pull a new guest through the gate, and Universal needs that new guest now.
Universal’s theme parks grew revenue 2.7% in Q2 while segment EBITDA fell 5.1%, the first decline since Epic Universe opened, and management said Orlando attendance began softening in June and has stayed pressured into the third quarter. The summer softness is something I wrote about recently as it's showing up industry-wide. Although we don’t have all the data, and while it could be a macro issue, I think it’s also a value issue: Summer has become less competitive than Fall.
But tapping into popular IPs from other industries for Halloween carries a few caveats (we always say the test lies in the execution). The first is operational. The announcement has already sparked concerns about teen takeovers; a scare zone lacks the queue control of a house, and this targets the young audience Six Flags and much of the industry have been deliberately running away from. The second is creative. The new audience and the original audience expect different things from the same event, and the experience has to carry enough of three brands at once:
Enough Universal
Enough Fortnite
Enough Halloween
Lean too far into Halloween and the Fortnite fans revolt. Lean too far into Fortnite and the HHN loyalists call it a breakdown of the event. Players know exactly what the game feels like, so the design has to identify why Fortnite fans love Fortnite and deliver that essence physically.
Marriott is running the same strategy with Christmas. Gaylord’s ICE! expands to eight resorts for 2026, its largest lineup ever, including its first property outside the Gaylord brand at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, with Harry Potter, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas joining the theme rotation. Harry Potter and Nightmare sit in a different class than Home Alone, Elf, or A Christmas Story, and they exist to carry a proven event to a new audience. The three-brand test applies here too, because Harry Potter is not a Christmas brand any more than Fortnite is a Halloween one.
The takeaway for every operator watching: an IP license is an audience decision before it is a design decision. Know which audience the license is buying you, be ready to entertain that audience when they show up without losing the one that built the event, and make sure your event’s IP survives the transaction. The license does not sell the tickets. The balance does.
What Else We’re Watching
USJ announces its first age-restricted HHN attraction. Zanzō at Universal Studios Japan carries an R-18 restriction and a waiver. Why it matters: while Orlando pulls the HHN audience younger with Fortnite, Osaka is segmenting older, and both are answers to the same question of who the event is for.
Disney Adventure World adds participation entertainment. The new Disney Princess Cavalcade runs daily year-round with a midway stop where Moana and Raya pull guests into the choreography. Why it matters: the participation mechanic Tokyo runs through an app lottery is spreading, and it is the same expectation the Fortnite audience brings through the gate.
MARS says Halloween is a season now. The candy giant’s 2026 trends report found 57% of US adults believe Halloween is no longer one day but a full season, from a roughly 3,000-person sample. Why it matters: consumer permission for longer schedules keeps showing up in the data, small sample or not.
Six Flags discounts summer at a dozen parks. The Christmas in July sale offers single-day tickets from $35 and two-day tickets from $50, valid through September 7 and then done. Why it matters: the discounts cover exactly the stretch of calendar with core product only, then stop the moment the Halloween overlay arrives.
Legendary gets into the park business. Kong x Godzilla: The Ride opened at Lotte World in Seoul as Legendary’s first theme park attraction. Why it matters: another IP holder decided the licensing table was not enough and built a seat at the attraction itself.