'Star Wars' Getting a Virtual-Reality Experience
SAN FRANCISCO (CNET) - A "Star Wars" virtual-reality experience? Shut up and take my credits!
While most "Star Wars" fans out there are anxiously awaiting the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the folks at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) are working on something even more awesome. The company announced on Friday the creation of the ILM Experience Lab, or ILMxLab for short, which is a partnership between ILM, Skywalker Sound and Lucasfilm that will work on virtual- and augmented-reality content for major movie franchises.
"What we're aiming for is to open the two-dimensional world of the movies and allow fans to walk into those worlds with the same visual fidelity," ILMxLab's creative director told USA Today.
The purpose of ILMxLab is to create immersive experiences that allow fans to more meaningfully interact with their favorite movie worlds, and the company's first project is all about "Star Wars." The company released a video on Friday showing off some of its work on the "Star Wars" experience thus far, and it has me all kinds of excited for what's to come.
The first immersive "Star Wars" experiences are planned for release later this year, likely alongside the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which is set to land in theaters in Australia on December 17, followed by the US and the UK on December 18.
Be sure to stay tuned to the ILM YouTube channel for more information on what's to come with the ILMxLab in the coming months.