Newly formed Spire Animation Studios on Tuesday revealed a $20 million funding round that includes an investment from Fortnite maker Epic Games.
Under the partnership, Epic’s Unreal Engine will be integrated into Spire’s feature animation pipeline, specifically driving advancement with story and characters in the metaverse. The first project under this arrangement is the animated feature Trouble, made in collaboration with Danny McBride’s Rough House Pictures.
“Meta-distribution, where audiences engage with stories before, during and after film release, has disruptive potential,” said Spire’s co-founder and CEO P.J. Gunsagar. “Audiences will live and interact authentically and persistently 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. We’re passionate about bringing this vision to life with our movie Trouble.”
Spire Animation Studios is also co-founded by Ratatouille and How to Train Your Dragon producer Brad Lewis.
“I’m excited about using Unreal Engine to support the creative process from story through delivery of final pixel,” said Lewis. “The flexibility the engine provides will bring about a more intimate and intuitive filmmaking process, leading to better visuals and stories; everyone on the creative team gets to be in the room where it happens. Unreal Engine will bring new inspired voices to feature animation!”
The company, which has worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also working on a musical feature titled Century Goddess.
