Weta Workshop has decided to expand into the gaming industry.
Weta Workshop has decided to expand into the gaming industry. The company behind AAA blockbusters like the The Lord of the Rings, Blade Runner 2049, Avatar, and many more opened a new studio called Weta Gameshop. Is the company going to release games for PS4, Xbox One or some other platforms? Actually, no. Weta teamed up with Magic Leap to dive into the world of mixed reality.
“Even for gaming, that blows the lid off of gaming,” stated Weta Gameshop’s game director, writer, and artist Greg Broadmore. The new facility has been officially launched by Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern on Monday. Weta Workshop has been quietly working on mixed reality projects for the past six years.
Photos by Katie Scotcher & Richard Tindiller
The 50-man team is now working on a game based on Broadmore’s comic book called Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders, which is all about robots. The first concept of the game was assembled back in 2015 to show the potential.
So, Magic Leap brings its headset and Weta comes up with great storytelling — that’s the plan.
It’s brutally hard. Every problem is unsolved.
Like, how do you do health? In a normal video game, you have a health button. I have 100 health. Now I only have 50. What does that even mean in mixed reality?
[But] that’s the point. We get to forge new territory. That’s exciting
Greg Broadmore
You can learn more about the initiative here.