Star Wars coming to virtual and augmented reality via new studio
Lucasfilm and its technical divisions are working to bring immersive, interactive experiences to life
Star Wars fever is surging right now, with an upcoming sequel that fans are actually excited about, not to mention a wealth of other media and merchandise that shows a lot more care and consideration than the series has seen in some time.
And there’s more, of course. On Friday, Lucasfilm and its technical divisions – Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound – revealed that they’ve teamed up on a new venture: ILMxLab. The collaboration will focus on interactive experiences, namely in the virtual and augmented reality worlds.
The first ILMxLab experiences should release alongside Star Wars: The Force Awakens this December, naturally, but there should be much more on the horizon. ILMxLab won’t solely make VR and AR content based on Lucasfilm properties, but also work with other creators to bring their visions to life with these burgeoning technologies.
The video above shows some of the experiments in the works right now, with iPad-controlled worlds where you can explore the terrain of Tatooine alongside C-3PO and R2-D2, as well as fly an X-Wing fighter. Another segment shows some Jurassic World-esque dinosaurs projected against a wall and responding to human interactions.
Whether those are actual commercial projects in the works is unknown, but the prospect of some of this legendary talent putting money and resources towards Star Wars and other licensed VR, AR, and innovative interactive experiences is good news indeed. Hopefully it won’t be long before we have a chance to try them out, but of course, some of these creations are sure to be dependent on hardware availability.
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
