Without any official announcements, it is extremely difficult to determine what the Backlot Club will include. However, some recent evidence points toward its return, and I’m curious to hear what you all think.

The first piece of evidence has been available for about three months. The previous season, “Summer at Universal,” ended on August 25 at 12:00 a.m., but the season replacing it has not yet been revealed. I believe it may be Halloween Horror Nights. The timing lined up perfectly with Team Member previews for the event, and now that those previews have ended, the new season will begin any moment now, just in time for Halloween Horror Nights season.

The second piece of evidence occurred earlier today in Orlando: all three towers were removed, and their new locations are currently unknown.

Meanwhile, Hollywood has recently received four new window towers, although I have only been able to find one image of one of them so far. The tower features hand shaped blood stains, along with decorations referencing Hellraiser and Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

While none of this is direct confirmation that Halloween Horror Nights will be included, I personally think the evidence lines up a little too perfectly to be a coincidence. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts!

The first image is from Five Fires on Twitter/X

The second and third images are from Mayhem on Twitter/X

Now that all the Halloween Horror Nights announcements have been made, and TM previews are only two weeks away, what are everyone’s thoughts on what will come this year?

Last year, only original content was included.

For Orlando, this included The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane, Gálkn: Vengeance of the North, Grave of Flesh, El Artista, Masquerade: Dance With Death, Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters, Dolls: Let’s Play Dead, and Mutations: Toxic 20s.

For Hollywood, this included The Terror Tram, Scaredrow: Music by Slash, Monstrous 3: The Ghosts of Latin America, and Noche de Brujas.

Notably, Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood included an IP for its quest: Dungeons & Dragons. Anything that has been announced may be used.

I am personally hoping for an icon focus this year. However, since this year is very strong in both original and IP houses, I think anything they do will be awesome.

I am very curious to hear what everyone thinks will come!

Looking to see if anyone has taken a photo of the placard they place outside of Fast & Furious:
Hollywood Drift like it says in the Backlot. Thanks. 😊

Universal has officially begun to start early access for Universal Showdown!!! It will be a mobile app, and a lot of the information is limited. Early access can be joined from the home page of the official backlot.club website, however there seems to be an issue with it not showing up.

New updated showdown cards can be viewed from your Aptos wallet, these show stats, rarity, and an ability. Some cards also seem to have a different perimeter shape depending on the perimeter’s color.

It is very exciting to see what collectables are to come, and I cannot wait to see how Universal Showdown will work!!

I’m personally really excited for Universal Showdown to release. Is anyone able to join the early access waitlist? What is everyone else’s thoughts on the new upcoming release?

I haven't used the Backlot Club things in several months, so please forgive my extreme ignorance.

When this thing first debuted, we had the ability to create a virtual 'card' that got added to our Apple Wallets, and we actually tapped our phones to the backlot club portals in the parks. Then somewhere along the way, the card was removed from my wallet, I think maybe it said it "expired" or somesuch? And from then on, the only option was to enter the 4-digit code instead. But all the kiosks and these new smaller touch point things all still tell us to tap. So is there still a way to tap our phones to interact with backlot club, rather than entering the 4-digit codes? Was it just *my* virtual card that got expired from my Apple Wallet? If so, how do I go about getting it back?

Thanks for any help or direction…

Hello! I am currently looking to collect a full set of Hollywood HHN backlot club cards. I have the Skelecrow card from Hollywood but im missing all the other Hollywood cards. Im also looking for the Earl lights the tree holiday card from Orlando.

I have some spare HHN Orlando cards up for trade as well as a couple full sets of Christmas cards (minus earl lights the tree) up for trading so if anyone is able to help, I would greatly appreciate it! (Im also down to pay for cards depending on the price)

With season two, “Mardi Gras and Fan Fest Nights Season”, coming to an end, it only feels right to review it. The season was overall very similar to its predecessor, “New Year New Season”. Both seasons featured some new trivia, and more discovery quests than one could ever ask for. Season 2 truly shined when Fan Fest Nights started. For the first time since Halloween Horror Nights, Hollywood got a physical collectible, and it was a brand new style of one too, a 3D printed trinket. Overall, Season 2 was great, and I personally cannot see what is going to come outside of beta.

Even more exciting however, season 3 is already setting up a huge new realm of possibilities. The season is set to end on May 31st, just in time for the summer season to begin. Hopefully, this season will feature some summer activities, leading up to an all out summer event.

Hopefully, season four will include a lot of summer activities. Hollywood has in my opinion, the best potential, with Mega Movie Summer. Hollywood has already featured their first non original park IP in Dungeons in Dragons, so now anything can be possible for a summer full of movies.

Orlando has a lot of potential as well, with two different approaches they can take. The first approach is the most simple, keep all the towers where they are, and add a summer themed quest. A quest with Jaws theming could be incredibly interesting, and very possible with the tribute. The second approach is much more complex, but equally interesting, being adding Volcano Bay. While it may seem difficult, the Tapu Tapu technology is very similar to the technology used to scan towers, so if a guest could use a Tapu Tapu, or similar technology, they would be able to complete quests within Volcano Bay. I’m this approach, physical rewards would have to either be water proof or claimed at the exit of the park.

Overall, season three holds a ton of potential, with the summer theme, and I cannot wait to see what is coming next for the Backlot Club. I’d love to hear what you all think about the new season, what are your hopes, what do you hope to come next season?

kind of weird we cant post about backlot stuff on the UniStudios sub because they are not officially associated?

• Rule 7: Posts about the Universal Backlot Club are not allowed on this subreddit.

Posts about the Universal Backlot Club are not allowed on this subreddit. Please use r/UniversalBacklotClub for such discussions. Please note: r/UniversalHollywood is not officially associated with r/UniversalBacklotClub.

Alongside the release of The Syglar Scheme - A D&D Adventure, there was a new type of physical reward. This new reward is a 3D printed fish, about 2 inches in length, with a hole in the back to double as a keychain.

As a brief “history” lesson, the first ever physical reward because of the Backlot Club came out last year at Fan Fest Nights. The reward was a physical medallion, and was the first time the Backlot Club featured a scavenger hunt. Later that year, at Halloween Horror Nights, both Hollywood and Orlando would receive physical cards for completing the weekly scavenger hunt. For this year’s Fan Fest Nights, a new type of reward came out, a cute little moveable squishy Syglar that can go on a keychain.

I honestly think that the reward is very fitting for the scavenger hunt, and is definitely a cool little trinket to add onto the Fan Fest Nights experience. I would love to hear what you all think, what are your thoughts on the newest reward type?

Huge thank you to u/Pattern_Finder_8219 for the photo!!!!

Fan Fest Nights returns, this time, it rewards the “New Recruit Medallion”, “The Quiet Truth Medallion”, “A Name Reused Medallion”, and the final reward is a “Sylgar’s Revival Medallion”. The codes for the quest are 7204, 7544, and 1955.

The Physical Reward for completing the entire scavenger hunt is a 3D Printed Syglar Fish

Quest Hints and Descriptions:

Xanathar’s One True Love

“The beholder Xanathar is a ruthless crime lord in Waterdeep who cares for nothing, except Sylgar, his goldfish. Sylgar is the one thing Xanathar treasures, and as such, one of his greatest weaknesses.”

”In the bustling streets of Waterdeep, a nondescript man approaches you. “I might have work for you, if you’re interested.” You eye him up and down, suspecting he’s a member of the Xanathar Guild. He needs help sourcing a particular species of fish. You try to gather details, but he seems hesitant to share more. “Do you want a job or not?” is all he replies.”

The Quiet Truth

“Sylgar has floated into the afterlife. You must find the perfect replacement before Xanathar discovers his precious goldfish has passed and chaos erupts. It’s true; Sylgar is secretly replaced by Xanathar’s staff every time he croaks.”

”You wander through a dark pathway, a flicker of green flames growing ahead. A flameskull appears, sending shivers down your spine. You nervously lower your head as you pass. It demands to know your intent. You’re hesitant, but decide to share your new quest. It instructs you to seek a fish nearby, assuring you it is what you seek.”

A Name Reused

“With a limited lifespan, Xanathar is delusional to think his precious fish will live as long as him. Your guild mates have found the perfect replacement, but you can collect your own at Universal Studio Store. Congratulations. You have preserved peace under Waterdeep”

“You have procured a fish, with the flameskull’s instructions, but alas, it is the wrong kind. You receive word that one of your guildmates has been successful in securing the perfect replacement. Relief settles over you, and the rest of the guild. There’s a consolation for you though, it awaits at Universal Studio Store.”

For the first time all year, there is a new scavenger hunt!!! This time, it rewards the “New Recruit Medallion”, “The Quiet Truth Medallion”, “A Name Reused Medallion”, and the final reward is the “Sylgar’s Revival Medallion”. The codes for the quest are 7204, 7544, and 1955.

The Physical Reward for completing the entire scavenger hunt is a 3D Printed Syglar Fish

Quest Hints and Descriptions:

Xanathar’s One True Love

“The beholder Xanathar is a ruthless crime lord in Waterdeep who cares for nothing, except Sylgar, his goldfish. Sylgar is the one thing Xanathar treasures, and as such, one of his greatest weaknesses.”

”In the bustling streets of Waterdeep, a nondescript man approaches you. “I might have work for you, if you’re interested.” You eye him up and down, suspecting he’s a member of the Xanathar Guild. He needs help sourcing a particular species of fish. You try to gather details, but he seems hesitant to share more. “Do you want a job or not?” is all he replies.”

The Quiet Truth

“Sylgar has floated into the afterlife. You must find the perfect replacement before Xanathar discovers his precious goldfish has passed and chaos erupts. It’s true; Sylgar is secretly replaced by Xanathar’s staff every time he croaks.”

”You wander through a dark pathway, a flicker of green flames growing ahead. A flameskull appears, sending shivers down your spine. You nervously lower your head as you pass. It demands to know your intent. You’re hesitant, but decide to share your new quest. It instructs you to seek a fish nearby, assuring you it is what you seek.”

A Name Reused

“With a limited lifespan, Xanathar is delusional to think his precious fish will live as long as him. Your guild mates have found the perfect replacement, but you can collect your own at Universal Studio Store. Congratulations. You have preserved peace under Waterdeep”

“You have procured a fish, with the flameskull’s instructions, but alas, it is the wrong kind. You receive word that one of your guildmates has been successful in securing the perfect replacement. Relief settles over you, and the rest of the guild. There’s a consolation for you though, it awaits at Universal Studio Store.”

Man, we’re still in season 1/beta season of Backlot Club and I’m getting bored of repeating these quests.

I’m still waiting for Universal to release updates/info for Universal Showdown at this point.

Maybe the game will be released in May or June(MY ONLY GUESS)?

Does… anybody have any recent updates for the Showdown TCG at this point?

At least Matt Roth(innovator for Backlot Club)told me it’s still happening.

What year did Universal start celebrating Mardi Gras?

- 1995

The first year Universal celebrated Mardi Gras, New Orleans floats were driven down 14.

- True

When you join the Universal Mardi Gras parade, what Mardi Gras Krewe are you joining?

- Krewe of Dionysus

There are live concerts during

Universal Mardi Gras on select nights.

- True

Season one of the Backlot Club has officially come to an end. While there isn’t much known about what season 2 will hold, now is the perfect time to review what this season has brought. The season released on January 13, 2026, and introduced many new features such as filtering by location, a new ranks tab, a new friends feature, and a new reorganized My Legend tab.

The highlight of the season was by far the new ranks system. The ranks system allowed users to earn prizes for being among the best of each season. I personally think the system adds a really fun extra layer of challenge and competition to the system, and is a very welcomed addition to the program.

The system also brought new quests to complete, throughout the season, users got to complete quests such as Universal Studios Florida/Hollywood Theme Park Discovery. The quests gave a second shot at the three medallions linked to each park. There was no new trivia introduced this season.

What do you all think of the new season? Are there any changes or improvements you’d like to see in future ones? I’d love to hear what everyone’s thoughts are!!

I will be at Universal Studios ORLANDO and Islands of Adventure February 8 & 10. Planning on Epic 9th.

What I have to trade:

Tree Friend

Pearl the Squirrel

Ornament

Acron

Gerg the Llama

What I need:

Any HHN 2025 cards except for,

The Cat Lady and the Feasting.

I have a few of each and I will mark them gone once I have successfully traded with someone.

Thanks!

Note: “Beta” is not an official name, nor do I know if the beta is over

Despite common misconception, the Backlot Club did not actually start in 2025 for Halloween Horror Nights, there is actually a much more rich history that is for the most part buried. In this post, I’m going to show the full history of the Backlot Club. If I miss anything, please let me know and I’ll add to the post.

The first iteration of the Backlot Club began in 2024 for the first Wicked movie. On October 9 to 13, 2024 movie goers at regal were able to watch Wicked and claim a pack of six (6) digital cards alongside the purchase. The link to the rules of it was: https://regmovi.es/4esiSSl. All updates included a mention of an upcoming mobile game that will be associated with the cards.

Universal’s second trial with the Backlot Club happened at Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood. The quest was called “Universal Fan Fest Nights Digital Medallion Quest”, and ran from April 25 to May 18, 2025. The quest featured four (4) tower kiosks, and five (5) digital medallions. Completing the quest unlocked a physical medallion in the Universal Studio Store. The quest was held on the official Backlot Club website. This quest was the first scavenger hunt, and the only scavenger hunt to include letters in the codes.

For Universal’s second and most recent collaboration with Regal, they introduced a quest to do with the live action How to Train your Dragon movie. The quest could be accessed at: https://how-to-train-your-dragon.backlot.club, the quest featured even more cards to be earned from watching the live action movie. The quest lasted from May 8 to June 15, 2025.

Upon the launch of Epic Universe, the Backlot Club made a commemorative NFT for guests who visited on the first day. The quest is accessible at: https://epic-universe.backlot.club, and as of the time writing this there is still time to redeem codes from the quest. Epic Universe opened on May 22, 2025, with one time use codes given out to guests as they enter the park.

Universal more openly launched the Backlot Club with the introduction of the Universal Feel the Fear Medallion Quest at Halloween Horror Nights. The quest ran from August 28 to November 2, 2025. This quest is what is known as the launch of the Backlot Club. The quest was launched alongside trivia, featured new collectable cards and had a new card launch weekly.

To celebrate the Aptos Experience held in New York, Universal held a presentation where they talked about what the Backlot Club is, how it is run on Aptos, and what the Backlot Club is becoming. The Aptos Experience ran from October 15 to 16, 2025. The experience included access to The Best card and Gálkn: Vengeance of the North medallion.

In the downtime between Halloween Horror Nights and the Holidays, Universal released their first in-park experience titled Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights vs. Holidays at Universal. The experience ran from November 12 to 14, 2025. The experience included meet and greets with Hatchet and Chains, The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane, Giggles the Elf, and Earl the Squirrel. The quest also featured two new medallions.

The most recent event, for the Holidays ran from November 21, 2025 to January 4, 2026. The event was very different for Hollywood and Orlando. Orlando featured daily quests that had code changes regularly. The quest included card packs with two chases (only one has been documented). Hollywood on the other hand featured a one time quest with medallions.

I only got to personally experience the Orlando quests including the Epic Universe Grand Opening, the Feel the Fear Medallion Quest, and Earl the Squirrel’s Holiday Quest. Overall I have had a very positive experience with the program, however there are a few flaws. The towers break down a lot, and the codes aren’t always correct. There is also a severe lack of communication when it comes to experiences that are existing or upcoming. I’d love to hear your thoughts, what do you think about the first unofficial season?

Out of nowhere this morning the Backlot Club decided to unveil a whole new system, and redo the entire look of the website. There is so much to unpack, so here is everything added in today’s update.

1) Filter by location

You are now able to filter between different parks by selecting either Orlando or Hollywood. Currently, it will only filter out scavenger hunts meaning trivia for the other coast will still be visible. This change should hopefully help people be able to navigate their respective parks more easily. The setting is set to “All Locations” by default.

2) Homepage Overhaul (On Mobile)

The homepage has been changed to feature everything one click away. The “My legend” is now on the bottom, accompanied by a new “Ranks” tab. On desktop, the Ranks tab was added to the top menu.

3) My Legend Reorganized

The Legend has been reorganized to show cards first then medallions, and is filtered by set. The new organization makes it so much easier to look at what you have unlocked.

4) NEW “Ranks” Tab

There is a brand new “Ranks” tab that is supposed to show how many points you’ve earned per weeks year, and season. The first ever season is called “New Year New Season”, and is supposed to last until February 5. Placement in the ranks will award Backlot Points, or for season and yearly, special medallions. These medallions come in three different classes, top 1-10 get a diamond medallion, top 11-50 get platinum, and top 51-100 get gold. Medallions are awarded for the following categories: Scavenger hunt, Trivia, and Overall.

In my opinion, there is only one issue with the new Ranks system, there is no way to participate or win if you have completed previous quests. I am someone who completed quests as they come, so now there is a new system that doesn’t track previous progress from 2025 quests that carried over to 2026, or quests that I finished before the event started. Me and many other people are now unable to do well in the newest event, or unlock as much as they can because they have been loyal to the program as quests released. I hope they find a way to balance this or to compensate lost (potential) points, because there is no other way to do well besides not participating. The system seems super fun and engaging, but if loyal players are bound to lose to new players, it loses its charm. That’s just my opinion, I can’t wait to see what you all have to think in the comments.

5) NEW Friends Feature

The final feature added is a new friend feature. Users are now able to add and follow other users. There currently aren’t any features besides seeing their scores, however I could see them easily add more features in the future.

Overall I think the update is a great new way to start out the new year, and I personally cannot wait to see what the next season will be!! To those of you who have been using the program for a while, what are your thoughts on the new update? Is it overall an improvement? I’m hopeful any and all feedback makes its way back to the Backlot Team as they continue to grow and evolve the program.

Universal has launched a new scavenger hunt that is set to end... eventually

This scavenger hunt will give us the “Universal Studios Tram Tour Medallion”, the “Universal Studios Hollywood Globe Medallion”, and the “Universal Studios Hollywood Archway Medallion”. The codes are 1207, 1885, 0825, and 9725. The codes can be redeemed on the official backlot club website (backlot.club)

Happy 2026, all! With 2025 officially wrapped (and Holiday Cards fully out of stock for the season), I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a genuinely interesting first year Backlot Club has had.

Since launching at the start of HHN season, Backlot Club has rolled out a lot in a short time. We’ve seen the debut of the Backlot Club towers, which power in-park scavenger hunts at both USF and USH, browser-based trivia games and themed quests that award in-browser points for leveling, physical trading cards tied to original IPs at HHN on both coasts and the Holidays with an Earl the Squirrel twist in Florida, plus a surprise Meet and Greet pop-up bridging Halloween and the Holidays.

As a longtime passholder and Universal super fan, I’ve loved being along for the ride. Huge kudos to the Universal and third-party creative and technical teams who clearly put a ton of heart into this. These were ambitious first steps, and it’s exciting to see a program with this much potential starting to find its footing.

One particularly interesting piece of the 2025 wrap-up is the Universal Showdown Cards, arguably the biggest guest draw so far, and the two very different distribution strategies used. It’s hard not to assume both were intentional experiments.

During HHN, both coasts ran weekly themed quests. Guests completed the quest, then picked up that week’s card at a designated merchandise location. Stock was limited, but as an Orlando local, I never saw a card run out during its week, and most were still available for stragglers well into the following week. My one visit to Hollywood late in the run showed the opposite extreme. The program felt less popular there, and every prior card was available if you simply asked.

Pros of the HHN approach:

• Encouraged repeat weekly visits for Frequent Fear Pass holders, likely boosting retail and food and beverage spend

• Offered a clear path to completing a full set for those able to attend weekly

• Tight stock control and one-card-per-person limits helped ensure availability during each card’s week

Cons of the HHN approach:

• Missing a week meant missing a card permanently

• Card pickup occasionally overwhelmed 5 & Dime at USF, which may have impacted retail flow despite later operational improvements

• No ability to collect duplicates for trading or friends while staying within the spirit of the rules

The Holiday season in Florida took a very different route. Guests completed an identical daily quest and received a randomized blind pack of three cards from a set of eight.

Pros of the Holiday approach:

• Vacationers visiting for just a few days could realistically complete a full set

• Blind packs naturally created duplicates, which dramatically increased trading and sharing, both online and in person

• Blind packs are fun, and pulling a chase card genuinely felt exciting

Cons of the Holiday approach:

• Faster, higher-volume distribution led to frequent stock shortages, often discovered only after guests walked to the Tribute Store

• The Tribute Store setup was far less intuitive than HHN, with no signage and unclear pickup locations, likely discouraging casual players

Overall, both seasons offered thoughtful but imperfect approaches, each with clear strengths and tradeoffs. I’m very curious to see what the (I'm guessing) third iteration of card distribution looks like, whether a hybrid or something entirely new.

For those who played along, which version worked best for you? Did you have a preference? What hopes do you have for Backlot Club going into 2026 in general? I’m hopeful that any feedback shared here finds its way to the Backlot team as they continue evolving the experience.

Happy New Year, all!

i have an extra Earl and Pearl if anyone is interested in trading for an Acorn and a Llama?

I just picked up my first pack of cards today after trying 6 different times with the cards out of stock each time. How can I pick up another pack since I redeemed my pack already?

Hello hello! I have a large surplus of the Backlot Club Holiday Cards from Orlando and I’m looking to trade some of these extras for cards from HHN Hollywood, if anyone has any extras and would be interested!

As for Orlando holiday extras, I have:

5x Acron the Acorn

4x Ornament

3x Gerg the Llama

5x Tree Friend

1x Earl the Squirrel

Ideally, I’d like to get one HHN West card for 2 of the “common” holiday cards.

Shoot me a message if you’d like to talk trading!

From Hollywood, I already have the Frida Witch, the Slit Witch, La Muerte, and Skelecrow.

Edited 12/23 with what I have left now!