Weta Workshop Interactive, the gaming division for The Lord of the Rings' and Avatar's special effects studio, recently uploaded a job ad that teases its new console and PC game. Originally founded in the late 1980s as RT Effects, Weta Workshop as a special effects and prop house has played an integral role in bringing movie magic to the big screen for over three decades. The company's digital visual effects division, Weta Digital, has similarly made an indelible mark on the industry. Interestingly, co-owner Peter Jackson recently sold Weta Digital to game software company Unity Technologies. Needless to say, the possiblities for such a union seem vast.
The interactive vertical of Weta Workshop hit the scene nearly a decade ago in 2012 and quickly charted its own course in the gaming space. In 2018, for instance, the group released Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders as a showpiece for the Magic Leap One augmented reality platform. Weta Workshop Interactive later followed the award-winning project up with Dr. Grordbort’s Boosters. Its since partnered with Beyond Studio on multiplayer VR adventure Combonauts, but now there's something grander peaking over the horizon.
A job listing on the Weta Workshop website (via GameSpot) has revealed the interactive team is working on its first major gaming project for console and PC. The ad in question calls for a Producer who can help the Wellington, New Zealand-based group fully realize its vision for an endeavor that involves a "major worldwide IP." While the listing doesn't offer much in the way of specifics, the descriptions notes that mysterious IP is "very close to [the developers'] hearts."
Of course, the widespread assumption is that Weta Workshop Interactive is working on a Lord of the Rings game. But the property could be related to a number of other franchises from Weta's past movie-making ventures. Or perhaps the project boasts no connection to the studio's filmmaking endeavors at all. There's no telling how long the wait to find out will last.
As many are well aware, interactive adventures based on both The Lord of the Rings and Avatar have been in the works for years. Develoepr Daedalic Entertainment plans to release action-adventure title The Lord of the Rings: Gollum next year on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. And The Division developer Massive Entertainment showcased Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora at E3 2021, giving audiences a first look at the open-world setting.
Weta Workshop Interactive's new console and PC game presently lacks release details.
Source: Weta Workshop via GameSpot