A partnership between ILMxLab and the Void has already brought Star Wars and Disney Animation to location-based VR. Now: the MCU.
Virtual reality may not yet be a mainstay in your average home, but that doesn't mean VR is limping. People are still putting on headsets and entering fantastic worlds—they're just doing it at dedicated facilities, where bespoke equipment and high-end experiences have turned "location-based" VR into a moneymaking enterprise. And no one has led that charge more than the Void, a Utah-based company that since 2016 has opened 16 locations in four countries (with another 14 countries in the works across the US and Europe).
While the Void has created a number of home-grown experiences, it's perhaps best known for its work with ILMxLab, the wing of Disney-owned Lucasfilm dedicated to creating immersive experiences. That partnership has already spawned VR attractions set in the worlds of Star Wars andWreck-It Ralph; starting today, it ventures into the MCU with Avengers: Damage Control. Earlier this week at the XRS Conference in San Francisco, WIRED led a conversation with with Void cofounder and chief creative officer Curtis Hickman and Vicki Dobbs Beck, ILMxLab's executive in charge (a real title!) to discuss why Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch lent their talents to Damage Control, what people expect when they buy a ticket for high-end VR, and how best to leverage the magic of—well, magic.
WIRED: Well, let's start off with the trailer we just saw, Avengers: Damage Control. It comes out on Friday. I thought I heard the actual Paul Rudd in there as Ant-Man, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange—is there voice talent from the Marvel movies? What can people expect?
Vicki Dobbs Beck: Well, I'll let Curtis describe the actual experience, but yes, there is voice talent from the movies, and the performers that do the motion capture are also the ones from the movies. It's not a hundred percent, but people are really excited about this new form of entertainment and were willing to participate. Damage Control is really the culmination of 10 years of the Avengers; it takes place post-Endgame, and it was an incredible opportunity to be the capstone on what's been an absolutely phenomenal run for those characters.
Curtis Hickman: Beat for beat, here's what happens. [Laughter] First of all, it's the longest Void experience we've ever had, and so we're very excited about that. People always come out like, "That was amazing … I want longer." So we've done that. You're going to meet Doctor Strange in his sanctum, and you're going to feel like you're there. I mean, that's the great thing about immersive VR: It's not just a visual thing that you're partaking in. We've gone to great lengths to make sure that you do feel like you're there, that when you go by a window you feel the breeze, and all the little details throughout.
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