Peter Jackson sells Weta Digital special effects firm in $1.6-B 'metaverse' deal

WELLINGTON - New Zealand film director Peter Jackson on Wednesday announced the sale of his Oscar-winning Weta Digital special effects business to a US software firm intent on using it to develop the virtual-reality "metaverse".

San Francisco-based Unity Software said the US$1.6 billion acquisition would "shape the future of the metaverse", an immersive 3D version of the internet tipped to transform workplaces and online interactions.

The firm said Weta's technology -- used in blockbusters such as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Avatar" -- would allow its subscribers to create their own ultra-realistic corner of a virtual world.

"We are thrilled to democratize these industry-leading tools and bring the genius of Sir Peter Jackson and Weta's amazing engineering talent to life for artists everywhere," Unity president John Riccitiello said in a statement.

Under the deal, Unity takes over Wellington-based Weta Digital's technology and engineering assets while Jackson retains majority ownership of a standalone film effects company called WetaFX.

Jackson said the opportunity to use Weta's ground-breaking programs was a "game-changer" for those working in creative industries.

"Together, Unity and Weta Digital can create a pathway for any artist, from any industry, to be able to leverage these incredibly creative and powerful tools," he said.

The metaverse is expected to develop into an online platform that makes virtual experiences -- such as chatting with a friend or attending a concert -- feel face-to-face.

It grabbed headlines last month when Facebook changed its parent company name to "Meta" to reflect founder Mark Zuckerberg's commitment to the concept.

Zuckerberg's firm has announced plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to build the metaverse, but other tech players are also scrambling to stake a claim in the online world.

The technology might, for example, allow someone to don virtual reality glasses that make it feel as if they're face-to-face with a friend -- when in fact they are thousands of miles apart and connected via the internet. 

"The metaverse has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities. And Europeans will be shaping it right from the start," Facebook said in a blog post. 

Zuckerberg predicted in July that Facebook will transition from "primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company" over the next five years.

Facebook bought Oculus, a company that makes virtual reality headsets, for $2 billion in 2014 and has since been developing Horizon, a digital world where people can interact using VR technology. 

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Fred VanVleet puts up 32 as Raptors top 76ers

Fred VanVleet scored 32 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 24.8 seconds remaining, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the host Philadelphia 76ers 115-109 on Thursday.

Gary Trent Jr. and OG Anunoby contributed 20 each and Chris Boucher had 17 for the Raptors, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Scottie Barnes contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.

Pascal Siakam was given the night off by the Raptors to rest his shoulder. Siakam has played in only two games after offseason shoulder surgery.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points and Tobias Harris returned from a six-game absence due to health and safety protocols to produce 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Seth Curry added 15 points, Shake Milton had 12 and Andre Drummond grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots.

The Sixers have dropped three in a row immediately following a six-game winning streak.

Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe all for health and safety protocols. Ben Simmons (personal reasons) has yet to play this season.

The Sixers went ahead 57-47 after Harris' floater in the lane with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Raptors sliced the lead in half from there and trailed by five at halftime.

Toronto ripped off a 13-2 run capped by a Barnes jumper to go ahead 70-68 with 4:49 left in the third.

The Raptors quickly pulled out to a seven-point lead early in the fourth before Maxey came back with a tough jumper. Trent hit a trey and Boucher threw down a dunk for an 90-80 Raptors lead.

Milton knocked down a reverse layup with 7:23 remaining and the Sixers trailed 94-91. After an empty Toronto possession, Harris hit a jumper to cap a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to one.

Toronto answered with a surge of its own and took a 105-97 advantage with 4:31 left after Anunoby's 3-pointer from the wing.

A 9-0 Sixers surge, capped by Drummond's offensive rebound and layup with 1:44 remaining, put the hosts ahead 109-107.

Trent Jr. made a 3-pointer with 1:10 left as Toronto regained the lead 110-109. VanVleet's trey and two late Anunoby free throws sealed the win.

-Field Level Media 

New Zealand central bank hit by cyber attack

WELLINGTON - New Zealand's central bank said Sunday it was responding with urgency to a "malicious" breach of one of its data systems, a third-party file sharing service that stored "sensitive information".

Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Adrian Orr said the breach had been contained and the system was taken offline but it would take time to determine what information had been accessed.

"We are working closely with domestic and international cyber security experts and other relevant authorities as part of our investigation and response to this malicious attack," Orr said.

"The nature and extent of information that has been potentially accessed is still being determined, but it may include some commercially and personally sensitive information," he added.

"It will take time to understand the full implications of this breach, and we are working with system users whose information may have been accessed."

In its latest report, the government agency CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) said cyber attacks had increased 33 percent year-on-year in New Zealand. 

The country's stock exchange was targeted by sustained DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks last August, forcing trading to be halted on four consecutive days.

Agence France-Presse