Star Wars Is Coming to VR
When Marvel recently announced Powers United VR, there were a huge number of us that, while impressed, already started thinking about the virtual reality possibilities of another Disney property: Star Wars. Sure, there already were Star Wars branded VR games out there, heck, there are lots of Star Wars branded material, but the mere thought of what could be possible when VR is combined with the Imagineering forces behind Disney theme parks is enough to make your head spin.
So that’s why the news of two new immersive VR experiences slated to open in Disney parks by the end of the year has us so excited. This isn’t just a new platform game for you to play at home, it’s a full-fledged environment which will allow its users to move freely, unthethered through a social experience. We don’t know much about what this experience is going to include – Disney has been mum on any details – but we have been lead to believe that it will includes the ability to interact with friends, other fans and even, believe it or not, Star Wars characters. Yeah, it might be cool to be The Hulk, but to exist within a physical environment, a giant virtual reality arcade wearing some kind of VR backpack, hanging out with Jedi Knights? That sounds like it’s probably worth fighting the holiday crowds and jumping on a flight to Anaheim.
What they’re calling a hyper-reality experience, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a collaboration between Lucasfilm, ILMxLAB (Lucasfilm’s immersive entertainment division), and THE VOID and why we don’t know much, we do know that they’re hinting the experience simulates not only sights and sounds, but touch and even smell.
The construction of the new Star Wars area is underway in Disneyland, taking over what once was Frontierland as Disney doubles down on their massive investment in George Lucas’s brainchild. And if what we’re reading about this new experience they’re building is true, they’re clearly also investing heavily in virtual reality. The VOID has been pushing “hyper-reality” for awhile. Their first bigtime Hollywood VR-style experience was a collaboration with Ivan Reitman and the Ghostbusters team, where they created, in a warehouse-sized venue, and on top of googles, a VR backpack and a “proton gun” the experience also brought with it the feeling of wind, the rumble of an elevator, and the smell of toasted marshmallows if and when you conquer the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Now by teaming up with Lucasfilm, THE VOID gets to bring their bag of tricks to an experience that is meshed with a story within the existing Star Wars universe. Backed by the deep pockets and decades of theme park experience that Disney brings to the table, while this news is a bit of a tease, it’s hard not to consider it a sign of just where the future of both theme parks and VR is headed.