(Sydney) New Zealand director Peter Jackson on Wednesday announced the sale of his special effects studio, Weta Digital, one of the most renowned in the film industry, to an American software company that wants to develop the “metaverse” , the parallel digital universe.
Unity Software, headquartered in San Francisco, said the $ 1.6 billion acquisition will allow it to “shape the future of the metaverse,” a meta-universe contraction (metaverse in English), a kind of digital backbone of the physical world, accessible via the internet.
According to this American company, the technology that Weta possesses – used in blockbusters such as the Lord of the Rings and Avatar – must allow its subscribers to create their own ultra-realistic universe of a virtual world.
“We are delighted to democratize these cutting edge tools and bring the genius of Sir Peter Jackson and the incredible engineering talent of Weta to life for artists around the world,” said John Riccitiello, president of Unity, in a statement.
As part of the deal, Unity Software will own the technology and engineering assets of Wellington-based Weta Digital, while Mr. Jackson will remain the majority owner of an independent film effects company called WetaFX.
The director said being able to use Weta Digital’s groundbreaking programs is a game-changer for people working in the creative industry.
“Incredibly creative tools”
“Together, Unity and Weta Digital can pave a way for any artist, regardless of industry, to take advantage of these incredibly creative and powerful tools,” he said.
The parallel digital universe whets many appetites, because it should make it possible to multiply human interactions, freeing them from physical constraints.
Considered the next big leap in the evolution of the Internet, this “Grail”, imagined by science fiction for nearly 30 years, has become a new horizon of development.
Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Facebook and Instagram platforms, WhatsApp and Messenger messaging and Oculus virtual reality headsets announced in October that his company is now called “Meta” as the Greek word for “beyond”, but also as metaverse, for meta-universe.
According to him, the metaverse represents the future of the internet, after computers and mobile phones, to which the public will have access to interact, work or be entertained via technologies (augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, etc. ).
He portrayed his vision of the metaverse, an ultra immersive universe, evoking science fiction novels, where real people and objects will mix with avatars and virtual images, thanks to new cutting-edge technologies.
“The essential quality of the metaverse will be the presence – the feeling of really being there with people,” Zuckerberg explained on his Facebook profile in July.
The billionaire has already announced investments of several billion over the coming years and the recruitment of 10,000 people in Europe for this project.