Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB’s Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is a VR game for Facebook’s Oculus Quest platform. The game is set in the outskirts of the Black Spire Outpost from Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
In Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, you are a droid technician who is forced to jettison your mysterious cargo and escape from Guavian Death Gang pirates. You end up on Batuu where you will explore the outskirts of the Black Spire Outpost and maybe change the galaxy.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge releases on Oculus Quest on November 19, 2020.
Vader Immortal - Episode II Concept Art and Details Revealed
If Vader Immortal – Episode I was a first step into a larger world, then Episode II will be a full-fledged leap.
Spoiler warning: This article discusses plot points and details of Vader Immortal – Episode I and Episode II.
In Vader Immortal – Episode I, the first installment of ILMxLAB’s immersive VR experience, players find themselves captured by the Empire and taken to Mustafar, where they come face-to-face with Darth Vader — and eventually wield a lightsaber. It’s a Star Wars experience like no other. In your ship, you can look at Star Destroyers passing above, manipulate controls and switches, and, if you dare, reach out and touch that strange small creature (and this writer jumped back when it tried to bite); when Vader walks into your personal space, you stand guarded and nervously at attention; and igniting a lightsaber and deflecting stormtrooper blaster bolts provides a fantasy fulfillment rarely achieved in interactive storytelling. It’s something any Star Wars fan would love and should get the chance to try.
At the surprising conclusion of Episode I, Vader promises to instruct the player in the ways of the Force, as they aid the Sith Lord in his search for an ancient artifact.
Episode II will deliver on that promise, as seen in the artwork below, revealed last week during ILMxLAB’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
At the end of Episode I, Vader draws the player’s lightsaber away and destroys it, so the Force, by necessity, will be a massive component of Episode II. “That is something that we’re still working really hard on,” Ben Snow, director of Vader Immortal says, “to make it feel as good as we can.” Without a lightsaber, initially at least, the Force will be your only real weapon. “Our goal is to make the Force in Episode II as satisfying as the lightsaber felt in Episode I.”
In another piece of new Episode II concept art, the Black Bishop — a mysterious figure who meets with Vader in Episode I — appears near a tomb.
Another piece of concept art was revealed during ILMxLAB’s panel, not from Episode II, but rather from a captivating moment in Episode I: Vader’s meeting with the Black Bishop, which the player secretly watches from inside a ventilation shaft. It’s a key sequence, which reveals that whatever Vader is seeking has to do with achieving some form a mastery over death — a clear callback to the tragedy of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. This leads to a private moment where Vader removes his helmet and calls out to Padmé before erupting in anger. “Pablo Hidalgo [of the Lucasfilm Story Group] had said to me at one point, ‘Vader is in constant pain.’ That’s basically his thing, with everything that happened to his body and all that sort of thing. It seemed to me that you could show that a little bit,” Snow says. First, the player watches from a high angle, then descends, ultimately coming to the Sith Lord’s level.
In the uncharted waters of VR, the makers of Vader Immortal are looking to explore the art form in innovative ways, while still delivering an authentic and worthy Star Wars story.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire - ILMxLAB & The Void
A galaxy far, far away needs your help. In teams of four, be transported into a brand new hyper-reality experience from Lucasfilm, ILMxLAB and The Void.
Under the orders of the budding rebellion, your team will travel to the molten planet of Mustafar. Your mission is to recover Imperial intelligence vital to the rebellion’s survival. Alongside the pragmatic droid K-2S0, your team must navigate through an enemy facility walking into danger at every turn. Disguised as stormtroopers, grab your blaster, solve puzzles, and fight giant lava monsters in an effort to fulfill your team's orders.
Pushing the boundaries of location-based virtual reality, The Void and ILMxLAB bring the Star Wars universe to life through a multi-sensory, untethered story. See Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire only on location at Disney Springs in Orlando, FL, and Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA - coming in winter of 2017.
https://youtu.be/oEj-2qmtvrU
As we posted late last week, ILMxLAB rebranded to become ILM Immersive, and here we see that wasn't the only rebranding going on last week. ILM reveal their new logo's and divisions, taking the company into the future on the leading edge of innovation, as it has been since 1975.
Our team here at Industrial Light & Magic are visual storytellers who create iconic moments that inspire the imagination. With a legacy that stretches back nearly half-a-century, we are so excited to announce our next chapter, and give you a look at our updated brand reveal.
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Just as Sprocket Systems became Skywalker Sound and the Graphics Group became Pixar, so ILMxLAB rebrands and is reborn as ILM Immersive after eight hugely successful years bringing innovation and creativity to the entertainment world.
As a part of the overall branding initiative at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), ILMxLAB announced today that they are rebranding the creative studio to ILM Immersive. Established in 2015 with key talent from Lucasfilm, ILM, and Skywalker Sound, the studio has since released multiple award-winning experiences in the immersive storytelling space for Star Wars, Marvel Studios, and more.
VP of Immersive Content Vicki Dobbs Beck said, “We're proud to be an innovation hub with a commitment to continuing to push the state-of-the-art on behalf of ILM and Lucasfilm, inviting our fans around the world to truly ‘Step Inside Our Stories.’ This new brand name really reflects the growth and evolution of our creative studio and will serve us for many years to come.”
Rob Bredow, SVP, Chief Creative Officer said, “It’s such an honor to work with such a talented group of visual storytellers across a wide variety of mediums. Our updated identity better reflects our talent, innovation and the quality that ILM stands for across all of our divisions and global studios.”
Recently releasing the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge - Enhanced Edition on PlayStation VR2 (which expands on the storytelling at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the epic lands at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida), ILM Immersive strives to tell connected, innovative stories across multiple platforms. Looking forward to the future, the studio will continue their pioneering legacy as industry leaders in virtual and mixed reality storytelling.
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ILMxLAB: Festive VR fun in the galaxy far, far away
ILMxLAB have the perfect festive fun package ready to go.
Our friends over at ILMxLAB don’t want you to get bored over the festive period, so their incredible selection of VR games and experiences is the perfect tonic for those long, turkey (or nut-based alternative) stuffed late December afternoons. Grab your headsets and visit the galaxy VR, VR away….
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (Meta Quest)
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like…
