I really hope Chance has an actual physical presence at the park. And they didn't just hire her to shoot some icon promo material and put her face on things, but not have a nightly role to play.
The new descriptions on their website seem to both ask that question, and dodge answering it, so I'm not sure what to make of it.
I've never been during a Jack year, but I'd like to go next time he shows up. That said I've watched lots of footage of last year, and enjoyed their show immensely, and found Chance to be the highlight, so I was happy to see she was the icon. Was hoping she'd have a similar (but different) presentation this year, but step into the starring role.
That said, I suppose she could still show up in her scare-zone in some kind of mini-show, kill or... even an organized meet-and-greet (I don't know if Universal has ever done that with an Icon, but I know I've seen some demand for one w/ her. *Shrug*)
The only year I've attended in the past was 2005, which was The Storyteller's debut. And frankly she had very little presence for an icon. So I think I err on the side of pessimism, haha. This will be my first year back since.
The Storyteller was more of a marketing character they put on posters and commercials, which I think is where my doubt comes from. I don't even think she fit the theme well that year, she felt very tacked on. The theme of 2005 (for those who may not recall) was they basically turned IoA into a warped fantasy LotR-esque continent, and the Storyteller's only real connection was she was allegedly the one telling us the story of said fantasy continent. Most of the houses located within IoA played into that fantasy theme, with zero presence from her. Then there were a couple more generic houses in the soundstages that I think were loosely connected by being presented as some additional stories from her book. I think she may have appeared outside one of said generic houses, but her presence was minimal at best. She seemed to be more prominent in later years, when they brought her back as a classic icon, frankly.