New York Comic Con kicked off today in the big apple, and ILMxLAB helped get things going with a panel previewing Episodes 2 & 3 or Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series. The panel was moderated by Indie Wire's Christian Blauvelt, and featured Vader Immortal director Ben Snow and Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin. Over the course of the hour long discussion, Snow and Martin gave fans an overview of what Vader Immortal is all about, the challenges faced when creating immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences, and teased what's to come in the third and final chapter.
I was in the audience for the panel and live tweeted what we heard. You can read all my tweets from the panel below,
We’ll be live tweeting the #VaderImmortal panel from #NYCC, beginning momentarily! pic.twitter.com/CcELUOBhjc— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: ILMxLAB’s aim is to “allow you to step inside our stories” #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: The story group works across the various mediums to find the best stories to tell in that medium. His team is the one that works with ILMxLAB #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: The story group works across the various mediums to find the best stories to tell in that medium. His team is the one that works with ILMxLAB #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: In the initial ideas for #VaderImmortal you were more of a passive observer, and watched the story play out. After they made a prototype, they decided they wanted to make you an active participant in the story. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
David S. Goyer was writer for the original (more passive) version of #VaderImmortal, and he chose to stay on after the choice was made to shift to a more active experience for the player. He said he wanted to see the project through to the end. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: #VaderImmortal Episode 2 picks up right after Episode 1, and begins with Vader teaching you the Force and you end up traveling through this ancient fortress (upon which Vader built his castle) and start to learn what Vader is really up to. #NYCC pic.twitter.com/YvyyG2r1l2— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: The droid ZOE3 (voiced by Maya Rudolph) has more of her own story in #VaderImmortal Episode 2 than she did in Episode 1. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow and Martin both talked about how they recanonized some Legends material in #VaderImmortal. Also how they worked the #StarWars curse word “Kriff” into the game. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: #VaderImmortal takes place about a week before #SecretsOfTheEmpiren (the VR experience from The Void). #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: Mustafar is basically Darth Vader’s birthplace, and #VaderImmortal explores why he would choose to live their. Also gives you insight into what it’s like to be a Sith. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: They tried to make the Force as intuitive as possible in #VaderImmortal. They had actually developed a buttonless version of Force powers, but ultimately decided they needed one button so you can be sure of when you’re using the Force and when you’re not. #NYCC pic.twitter.com/DWNued7Sob— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: The goal with #VaderImmortal was to make it seem like you were stepping into a film. They even used a “film pipeline” for the creation of the main characters, including making a real Vader costume to photograph and digitally scan. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: There are lots of unlockables that can be earned in the lightsaber dojo, including lightsaber hilts. There will also be trophies coming soon. #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: With interactive experiences, the storytelling has to be very clear so that the player knows where to go next, while also ensuring that you can look in any direction without breaking the immersion. #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin says what sold him on the idea of shifting the project from a passive experience to an active experience was a demo where Vader made eye contact with you, which was so much more intimidating than him looking through you. #VaderImmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: The proto-saber (not the in-story name, it doesn’t have one) is an ancient lightsaber that’s from the time of the original fortress (upon which Vader built his castle). #VaderImmortal #NYCC pic.twitter.com/HDMhSvOic6— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: Vader needed you in Episodes 1 & 2 of #VaderImmortal than he does in Episode 3, so you can imagine how that will go. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: One of things they’re still discovering is finding the balance between narrative and interaction in VR experiences. #vaderimmortal #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Martin: #VaderImmortal will continue to show new sides of Vader, especially in Episode 3. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Snow: Admiral Karius will return in Episode 3 of #VaderImmortal, and will be extra cranky. #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
It’s a wrap on the #VaderImmortal panel! Thanks to @ctblauvelt @missingwords Ben Snow and everyone at @ILMxLAB for a great panel! #NYCC— The Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) October 3, 2019
Episodes 1 & 2 of Vader Immortal are available now for download now for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift, with Episode 2 only launching last week. The third and final episode in the series will launch at a later, still unknown, date.
Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is written by David S. Goyer and features unparalleled VR experiences created by ILMxLAB.
Be sure to keep it here at the SWU for more coverage of NYCC, and follow us @TheSWU on Twitter and @DominicJ25 on Instagram!
Follow The Star Wars Underworld on Twitter @TheSWU for more updates about this story and other breaking Star Wars news.
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