ILMxLAB has announced Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, a new virtual reality experience being created in collaboration with Oculus Studios. It is coming out this year. The announcement didn’t reveal what platforms the title is coming to, although Oculus devices are a safe bet.
Star Wars has been a big part of VR, although it often brands its releases more as experiences instead of games, like with Trials on Tatooine and Vader Immortal. This story takes place between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. It’s set on Batuu, the same planet that guests visit at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in their new Star Wars-themed lands, which are called Galaxy’s Edge. So, you know, now we’ll hear some tales from that place, I guess. That’s a nice bit of brand synergy for Disney.
“The rich storytelling in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has redefined what a Disney park experience can be, and we are thrilled fans will have an opportunity to discover new stories, meet new characters and explore new regions of the planet Batuu in Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge,” said Scott Trowbridge, Walt Disney Imagineering creative executive, in the announcement. “Now our guests can immerse themselves in these stories both inside and outside our parks.”
It’s not clear how Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge will play, although Oculus says that it “will include multiple styles of gameplay and difficulty settings to bring in a wide variety of players.” The Galaxy’s Edge in Disney parks includes a market, a Resistance hideout, a First Order base, a smuggling operation, a droid factory, and a secret lightsaber workshop.