This coming Sunday marks the annual Star Wars celebration, May 4th and Lucasfilm is releasing a brand new animated short series called “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld”.

The popular series, which began in 2022 with “Tales of the Jedi” and continued in 2024 with “Tales of the Empire,” this time focuses on the criminal underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy through the experiences of two iconic villains. Former assassin and bounty hunter Asajj Ventress is given a new chance at life and must go on the run with an unexpected new ally, while outlaw Cad Bane faces his past when he confronts an old friend, now a Marshal on the opposite side of the law.

To tie in with the May 4th celebration, the hit video game, “Fortnite” is getting a brand new season called “Galactic Battle” on May 2nd, which willl allow fans to play as Darth Jar Jar or Emperor Palpatine, while piloting ships like X-wings and TIE Fighters. The season will culminate in an epic in-game live event, Death Star Sabotage.

Disney has announced that it is teaming up with Epic Games, to bring “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld” into “Fortnite”, with the first time in-game premiere on May 2nd, two days ahead of its Disney+ launch. This marks the first debut of a Disney+ series in a game.

The Star Wars Watch Party island will also go live on May 2nd 2025, and beginning at 10am ET, players will have a chance to view the first two episodes of Lucasfilm Animation’s “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld,” an all-new anthology series of animated shorts from creator Dave Filoni focusing on the criminal underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy through the experiences of two iconic villains: Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane. Beyond the Star Wars Watch Party theater, players have the opportunity to fight off incoming waves of Stormtroopers using blasters and lightsabers. The standalone Star Wars Watch Party island was built in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) and uses official Star Wars assets to create a breathtaking environment inspired by a galaxy far, far away.

To further bridge the worlds of Fortnite and Disney, starting today players and fans can link their Epic Games and MyDisney accounts. Eligible players who choose to link their Epic and MyDisney accounts will unlock a First Order Stormtrooper Outfit to further celebrate the upcoming Star Wars season of Battle Royale – with more benefits to come. This is a first step to enable Fortnite players and Disney fans to seamlessly move between Epic and Disney’s ecosystems, bringing more value to streaming subscribers as we work to build an all new Disney games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite.

Sean Shoptaw, Executive Vice President, Disney Games & Digital Entertainment, said in a statement:

“For the first time, Disney+ is premiering a show inside a game, launching alongside our largest Star Wars collaboration with Fortnite to date – giving fans and players an exciting first look at the kinds of experiences they can expect as we shape a new future together. We’re building the next era of digital entertainment, where fans can play, watch, create and connect – and we’re just beginning to tap into what’s possible.”

Adam Sussman, President, Epic Games added:

“Disney and Epic are pioneering the future of social entertainment together, and this expansive Star Wars collaboration offers a glimpse into the type of interactive experiences we envision. We are reimagining what’s possible with immersive storytelling in Fortnite with one of the world’s most beloved franchises – stay tuned for a lot more to come.”

Roger’s Take:  This is an interesting way of trying to get some additional eyeballs on the upcoming “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld”. I’ve just linked my Disney account with my Epic Games account to get the free Stormtrooper skin, and with Disney owning 10% of Epic Games, we are likely going to continue to see more crossovers.   

While it might have seemed a bigger event had they picked a premiere of “Andor”, doing this animated short series is probably much more likely to engage with younger audiences and to get people interested in a title, that they probably weren’t aware was even a thing.

Are you going to be checking out “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld” in Fortnite? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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