So many Star Wars projects have started off one way, then ventured into another direction throughout the way. One such project is Star Wars: Vader Immortal.
Speaking to Tested in an in-depth Making Of video, series director Ben Snow described how different the project was initiated. It would have been more passive and the players would not have embodied a character at all. Crazy, huh?
“It was originally going to be a fly on the wall narrative where you essentially observe the goings on,” Snow explained. “And so the first prototype that I became involved in, we were essentially trying to grey box/proof out/pre-viz the first script that he [David S. Goyer] had written.”
If you’ve been a longtime fan of VR technology then you might remember that ILMxLAB talked about Vader Immortal as far back as 2016. This left some fans wondering if it was going to get canned or ever be released at all.
When the Void’s location-based Star Wars VR experience, Secrets of the Empire, was released, it changed the future of Vader Immortal as well.
“So we kind of put Vader Immortal, or what became Vader Immortal on hold and then focused on this interactive experience, ” Snow continued. “And it was great because it gave us a chance to step back and say “You know what? People are going to enjoy this more if they are not the fly on the wall. They’re in VR, it’s really disappointing to stand in VR and watch two other people have a conversation around you. We want you to be part of it.””
I, for one, am glad they made this choice. It ended up a much better product, I think, than it would have been following the original plans. With new technology like VR, there’s going to be a lot of live-and-learn and trial and error taking place. This is a good example of that.
All three episodes of Star Wars: Vader Immortal are available now on Oculus Rift and Quest.
