Weta Digital

Weta Digital is a special effects studio. She created characters and scenes for films such as Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Wonder Woman and Planet of the Apes. The Weta technology portfolio includes tools for face animation, creating virtual cityscapes and modeling the deformation of objects, as well as many other things.

History

2021: Unity Software bought Weta Digital for $1.6 billion

On November 9, 2021, Unity Software, known for developing game engines and tools for creating 3D content, announced the purchase of the special effects studio Weta Digital by the famous director Peter Jackson. The value of the transaction amounted to $1.6 billion.

As part of the deal, Unity Software will own the technology and engineering assets of Wellington, New Zealand-based Weta Digital, while Peter Jackson will remain the main owner of an independent film effects company called WetaFX.

Unity Software acquired Weta Digital for $1.6 billion

The transaction can be closed in the current fiscal quarter, payments will be made with cash, as well as Unity shares. As part of the agreement, 175 Weta Digital engineers will move under the Unity wing.

According to Unity, the acquisition of Weta is aimed at helping the studio "incredibly exclusive and complex visual effects tools" attract new artists and "shape the future of the metaverse."

Unity plans not only to integrate Weta developments into its own Unity Engine game engine, but also ultimately offer them as part of a cloud subscription service. At some point, many instruments created by Weta Digital over the years will become part of the Unity game engine, which will allow anyone who has access to Unity to use them in their projects.

As Unity noted, Weta Digital managed to develop a set of professional full-cycle tools for 3D modeling, creating simulations and rendering - all of them are focused on the needs of artists.^[1]

Notes