Sometimes companies need to join forces for growth and to expand resources, and the news that Epic Games now partners with Spire Animation Studios, as well as the developers also raising $20 million to help with the blossoming alliance, is a positive step. Spire Animation Studios today announced a $20 million funding round to bolster efforts in developing metaverse content.
Epic Games has seen many free-to-play games entering their store in recent times, so this is a good move for the company (a company that once created the great Gears of War franchise) to expand its resources. The funding round saw a strategic investment from Epic Games and will feature contributions from previous investors such as Connect Ventures – this can only be a good thing, right?
Epic Games joins Spire Animation’s $20M round for animated metaverse films https://t.co/MBGriNZurs
— GamesBeat (@GamesBeat) February 1, 2022
What does the partnership with Spire Animation mean?
As part of the partnership with Spire Animation, Unreal Engine will be integrated into Spire’s animation pipeline, and Epic Games joining the board of directors over at Spire. The developers raising $20 million will go towards expanding the Spire Animations team, helping to develop studio technology, as well as bolstering future creative development.
Spire CEO P.J. Gunsagar had this to say,
“Meta-distribution, where audiences engage with stories before, during, and after film release, has disruptive potential. Audiences will live and interact with characters and worlds without having to wait years after a movie’s release. Story-living through VR, AR and metaverse experiences is the future”.
Epic Games CTO Kim Libreri also added,
So, the news that Epic Games partners Spire Animation Studios is a good move for both parties. And the added bonus of the developers raising $20 million for future endeavors is a step in the right direction, a direction they both believe in and are committed to.
