- "The world I came up with, that I'm pushing, is you are 'the visitor'—the visitor in this story that's happening around you that you may have some effect on. You can pick up things, you can open things, you can push things. You can walk and touch characters. Imagine being in a movie."
- ―David S. Goyer
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is a three-part VR experience created by ILMxLAB that involves Darth Vader. It was written by David S. Goyer, who had previously acted as a writer for the The Dark Knight trilogy. According to Tim Alexander, the supervisor of ILMxLAB, they came up with the idea when deciding how to best expand the Star Wars universe, with Vader being the first one to come up.[1] The first episode, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I, launched on May 21, 2019 on the Oculus Quest.[5]
The project was first announced at Celebration Europe in 2016.[6] On September 25, 2018, ILMxLAB teased the project on their Facebook and Instagram accounts,[7][8] followed the next day by the release of a teaser trailer.[5] Later that day, The Star Wars Show confirmed that the series is to take place between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.[9]
The series had a panel at Celebration Chicago on April 12, 2019, featuring the developers, including writer David S. Goyer, and an exclusive interactive preview of the series' first installment.[10] According to Ben Snow, the plot point involving Vader using a mercenary to find an artifact to bridge the gap between life and death was derived in part from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and would also add layers to Vader's character.[2]
Vader Immortal was a finalist for an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media" in 2019.[11] It was awarded the 2020 Game Developers Choice Award for Best VR/AR Game,[12] as well as the 2020 Producers Guild of America Award for Innovation.[13]
Episodes[]
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I (May 21, 2019)[14]
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode II (September 25, 2019)[15]
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode III (November 21, 2019)[16]
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 People Magazine Collector's Edition: The Secrets of Rogue One
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 First look inside the Star Wars virtual reality experience Vader Immortal on ew.com (May 7, 2019) (archived from the original on June 19, 2020)
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series to 1 BBY.
- ↑ The Empire Is Invading Virtual Reality with a Story About Everyone’s Favorite Sith Lord on www.vanityfair.com (July 17, 2016) (archived from the original on May 28, 2023)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑
ILMxLAB's Darth Vader VR Story Experience Teaser on the official ILMVFX YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑
ILMxLAB on Facebook: ILMxLAB announcement (September 25, 2018): "Alert all commands." (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars teases mysterious Darth Vader-related virtual reality project by Houghton, Rianne on www.digitalspy.com (September 25, 2018) (archived from the original on March 20, 2020)
- ↑
The Star Wars Show: Vader Immortal First Look and Meet the Cast of Star Wars Resistance on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ The Mandalorian and Vader Immortal Head to Celebration Chicago on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Emmys Nominate 'Star Wars Resistance' And 'Vader Immortal' For Awards by Hart, Ben on www.starwarsunderworld.com (July 18, 2019) (archived from the original on December 6, 2019)
- ↑ Untitled Goose Game Nabs Game Of The Year At The 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards! on gdconf.com (March 18, 2020) (archived from the original on March 20, 2020)
- ↑ PGA Awards: 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,' Star Wars VR Series Win Shortform, Innovation Prizes by Lewis, Hilary on The Hollywood Reporter (January 17, 2020) (archived from the original on November 9, 2021)
- ↑ First look inside the Star Wars virtual reality experience Vader Immortal on ew.com (May 7, 2019) (archived from the original on June 19, 2020)
- ↑ Master the Force with Darth Vader in Vader Immortal – Episode II, Available Now on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ In Vader Immortal: Episode III, You'll Finally Duel Darth Vader on StarWars.com (backup link)