Disney Tries Again in the Old DisneyQuest Building
Less than five years ago, DisneyQuest closed its doors forever. Apparently, that building was cursed, as its successor, NBA Experience, didn’t last a year.
Now, Disney is trying something new and temporary with the space. Here’s what you’ll find at the old DisneyQuest building.
Returning to The Void
We have two of Disney’s strangest recent stories intersecting today.
You may recall that at the end of 2017 and the start of 2018, Disney Springs and Downtown Disney opened twin outlets of The Void.
This virtual reality experience allowed customers to live out experiences akin to the ones in Ready Player One.
Guests would wear virtual reality equipment, a “back-top system” that looks like a tactical vest.
This gear allows you to “feel” sensations like laser blaster fire. I say this because the crown jewel of The Void was a Star Wars VR game.
Here’s a Wired article about the entire experience:
And here’s a video from someone’s first attempt at Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire.
You may not have heard much about The Void, though, depending on the last time you visited.
Something happened behind the scenes that caused Disney to revoke the franchise licenses at first Downtown Disney and later Disney Springs.
This series of events occurred in July and August of 2020, a time when Disneyland remained closed, and Walt Disney World was just reopening.
So, you may not even know that Disney posted a notice at The Void that the company had committed a licensing agreement breach. The situation went from zero to acrimonious divorce in a matter of days.
Apparently, Disney liked the idea, though. Remember that building that formerly hosted DisneyQuest for 19 years and NBA Experience for eight months?
Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge
Disney is now using that space to host ILMxLAB’s Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. And it sounds…eerily similar to The Void’s offering.
Yes, from now through July 21st, you can play the Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Quest 2 VR game for free at the former DisneyQuest building.
Disney will host the interactive event from noon through 10 p.m. daily, and it will accept reservations.
The whole thing is basically a sales pitch for the Meta Quest 2, the device formerly known as the Oculus Rift. It’s home VR game console equipment.
I owned one of these for a while. However, I’ll warn you that wearing one of these headsets can cause motion sickness.
So, you must decide whether the opportunity to play an immersive Star Wars game for prizes is worth the potential nausea.
The “prizes” in question are Meta swag like a free water bottle and Star Wars postcards. You’ll also receive a $25 coupon for the Meta/Oculus game store.
Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge currently sells for under $20. Ergo, if you like the game enough to buy it, you’ll get it for free after the discount.
That reason alone may be enough for Star Wars fans to visit. However, early feedback suggests that you should book a reservation for the experience.
That surprised me since the building is so massive. However, customers love Star Wars and ILMxLAB so much that they’re standing in line for hours to play.
The reservation system isn’t available on the official site. Instead, you show up on the date you’d like to play, and a cast member will assign you a return time.
What to Expect
Here’s a video of someone attending the event. It demonstrates how well Disney has redesigned the space for this temporary engagement.
Isn’t that impressive? I wonder whether Disney plans a revolving door of joint sales opportunities in this space like the one with Meta.
Alternatively, I could see this Star Wars interactive experience staying through the end of the year.
This holiday season, the former Facebook would like to sell its Meta Quest 2 console. Disney fans are more receptive to augmented reality. So, it’s a good match.
Officially, you have until July 21st to experience Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge at the former DisneyQuest building.
Finally, here’s the game’s trailer if you want to know what’s involved:
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