Unity Technologies, which is the company behind Unity's engine, has purchased Weta Digital. Weta Digital is a must-see for film lovers. It is the VFX house Peter Jackson founded in 1993. It's been involved in movies such as Avatar, Black Widow, and Fellowship of the Ring. Unity will acquire the company's technology division and its engineering talent under the $1.625 million deal. Peter Jackson will retain a majority of Weta's VFX/animation teams. WetaFX will be a separate entity. The deal is expected close before the end of this year, subject to regulatory approval.
Weta's technology suite also includes tools for creating virtual citiesscapes, modeling deformations of objects and facial animation. Unity plans to integrate these programs into Unity Engine and eventually offer them as part a cloud-based subscription service. Many of the assets Weta Digital created over the years will eventually be integrated into the engine, making it possible for anyone who has access to Unity to make use of them.
