Star Wars: Batuu Bounty Hunters Adds Another Immersive Layer to Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge

The game operates mostly through a hot and cold system of clues: green-lit happy buzzes on your MagicBand+ mean you’re getting closer, while red means maybe turn back. After using the MagicBand+ as a tracker that leads you to where your bounty is hiding, the Datapad thermal scanner on the Play Disney Parks app is the tool to trap it—you spot the creature via the augmented reality viewer on your phone. Your mission isn’t complete, however, until you have another interaction with the Bounty Hunters’ Guild member. “The most important thing to do in any bounty hunting experience is to make sure you’re actually paid for your work,” said Kalama.

Having an actual cast member to interact with—in character for alternate-reality game (ARG) activities in Batuu’s Black Spire Outpust—is what we’ve been waiting for. Hopefully, the light, immersive story fun will hold as it’s been hit or miss since the area opened. Mostly I’m relieved that I won’t have to keep my face on my phone for the whole experience and will actually be able to interact with the environment and props throughout the land. The opportunity to capture your bounty and go back to the local guildmaster to collect your credits for completing your mission could be better engagement than the auto responses from the characters on the Datapad—which is still a main tool for credits. Kalama added, “You can earn credits on the Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run or in the Star Wars Datapad. The credits you earn here are all a part of the same account so you’ll be able to see all of those in one place.”

When will the MagicBand+ be available?

Batuu Bounty Hunters will be available first at Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios Park. “We’ve announced that this will be coming to Walt Disney World later this year,” Kalama shared when asked if the experience was going to be available at both resorts. “We haven’t yet made announcements about Disneyland as of yet.” So for now, you’ll need to visit Walt Disney World to try out MagicBand+ experiences like Batuu Bounty Hunter, as well as expansion missions if you’re on the Galactic Starcruiser. Additionally, guests can experience nighttime spectaculars in a new way as they see their bands light up along with shows like “Harmonious” at Epcot and “Disney Enchantment” at the Magic Kingdom Park. There’s even surprising activations at the gold character statues throughout all four parks that you can scavenger hunt.

MagicBand+ is debuting this summer. Disney Resort hotel guests and Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to purchase it at a discounted, pre-arrival price. Past-generation MagicBands will still retain their basic functionality and recent styles will remain on sale. MagicBand+ will be available at the Disneyland Resort later this year, and it’s been confirmed that some of the features (though we don’t know which yet) will differ between resorts.

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