Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is a three-part VR experience created by ILMxLAB that involves Darth Vader. It was written by David S. Goyer, who had previously acted as a writer for the The Dark Knight trilogy. According to Tim Alexander, the supervisor of ILMxLAB, they came up with the idea when deciding how to best expand the Star Wars universe, with Vader being the first one to come up. The first episode, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I, launched on May 21, 2019 on the Oculus Quest.
The project was first announced at Celebration Europe in 2016. On September 25, 2018, ILMxLAB teased the project on their Facebook and Instagram accounts, followed the next day by the release of a teaser trailer. Later that day, The Star Wars Show confirmed that the series is to take place between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The series had a panel at Celebration Chicago on April 12, 2019, featuring the developers, including writer David S. Goyer, and an exclusive interactive preview of the series' first installment. According to Ben Snow, the plot point involving Vader using a mercenary to find an artifact to bridge the gap between life and death was derived in part from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and would also add layers to Vader's character.
Vader Immortal was a finalist for an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media" in 2019. It was awarded the 2020 Game Developers Choice Award for Best VR/AR Game, as well as the 2020 Producers Guild of America Award for Innovation.
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode II
- Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode III