Why we invested in Wonder Dynamics, democratizing VFX for film, games, and the metaverse
One look at the team behind Wonder Dynamics underscores the potential this visual effects (VFX) platform has for everyone from Hollywood filmmakers to everyday TikTok creators. The company’s plan to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to democratize VFX content creation is the real deal.
Wonder Dynamics was founded in 2017 by Nikola Todorovic – a VFX artist and award-winning filmmaker – and Tye Sheridan – an actor, writer, and producer. Among the company’s advisors are Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg and Joe Russo, along with AI experts Angjoo Kanazawa and Antonio Torralba.
Samsung Next is betting that more accessible VFX tools for creators will transform filmmaking, social, gaming, and the metaverse. That’s why we have joined Wonder Dynamic’s $9 million Series A round, led by Horizon Ventures, and including Epic Games, Founders Fund and MaC Venture Capital.
Computer generated imagery (CGI) is common in modern production, but the technology is outdated and expensive to use. For television and movie creators, more powerful VFX tools have the potential to facilitate a new generation of content. This new technology promises to go way beyond today’s CGI, defined by films ranging from Jurassic Park to The Avengers.
The race is on, and Wonder Dynamics isn’t the only initiative focused on advancing CGI by redefining what is possible with VFX. Disney, for example, has moved forward with its own efforts with Stagecraft. Some of that production technology can be seen in Mandalorian, the latest iteration of the Star Wars story.
Beyond filmmaking technology, we believe Wonder Dynamics will democratize the entire VFX process. The platform has the potential to reduce 90% of the time and cost currently associated with CGI production. Moreover, creations can be exported into existing workflows – such as Maya, Unreal, and Blender – for post-production work.
Wonder Dynamics also will give social media and game creators the ability to incorporate VFX into everyday stories. The potential for the gaming industry helps explain why Epic Games is backing Wonder Dynamics. Epic’s portfolio includes Unreal Engine, Digital Humans, and Fortnite. This follows in the footsteps of other efforts by gaming companies to crossover into TV and film. Unity, for instance, spent $1.6 billion to acquire Weta – Peter Jackson’s VFX studio behind Lord of the Rings.
Perhaps what’s the most exciting to us is how web3 creators will be able to use these new CGI tools to help build the metaverse. For instance, low-fidelity voxel experiences, such as those as seen in The Sandbox – one of our portfolio companies – will be complemented by high-fidelity CGI experiences, and may even be replaced.
Wonder Dynamics promises to be a catalyst for new web3 projects that will help to define the mateverse. One example is RTFKT, a non fungible-token (NFT) project using CGI for digital fashion. That startup was recently acquired by Nike.
By empowering creators at all levels, Wonder Dynamics has the potential to make high fidelity VFX a mainstay of film, gaming, and the entire metaverse. The Wonder Dynamics platform is set to launch publicly in 2022. But don't be surprised to learn that, even while it's in beta mode, some blockbuster movie magic is already being created with this new CGI technology.
Brandon Hoffman is an Investor at Samsung Next. Carlos Castellanos, another Investor at Samsung Next, collaborated on this deal. Samsung Next's investment strategy is limited to its own views and does not reflect the vision or strategy of any other Samsung business unit, including, but not limited, to Samsung Electronics.
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