A leap forward for the development of the “metaverse”.
New Zealand director Peter Jackson on Wednesday announced the sale of his special effects studio, Weta Digital, 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 (€ 1.38 billion) acquisition will enable it to "shape the future of metaverse. », A kind of digital backbone of the physical world, accessible via the Internet.
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According to this American company, the technology owned by Weta - used in blockbusters such as the "Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar" trilogy - 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.
"Incredibly creative and powerful tools"
As part of the deal, Unity Software will own the technology and engineering assets of Wellington-based Weta Digital, while Peter Jackson will remain the majority owner of an independent film effects company called WetaFX.
The director claimed that being able to use Weta Digital's revolutionary programs is a game-changer for people working in the creative industry.
“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.
Considered the next big leap in the evolution of the Internet, this “Grail”, imagined by science fiction for almost 30 years, has become a new horizon of development.
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Why the Facebook group is now called Meta
Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of the Facebook and Instagram platforms, announced in October that his company is now called "Meta" as the Greek word for "beyond", but also as a 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. ).
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.
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.