A digital content platform inspired by Seattle science-fiction author Neal Stephenson’s vision of the metaverse is collaborating with Weta Workshop, the special-effects company best known for its work on “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy, to create a whole new online territory for virtual worlds.
Lamina1 says its newly announced project, known as Artefact, will provide a new blueprint for expanding digital content through “immersive experiences that incorporate fan action and input.”
“This is more than just a new virtual world — it’s a new way to build worlds,” Stephenson, who co-founded Lamina1 in 2022, said today in a news release. “It’s a promising new way of looking at what we can offer to both creators and their communities. By collaborating with Weta Workshop, we’re forging a new path in digital worldbuilding. Lamina1’s commitment to a creator-driven economy and open metaverse provides a foundation that ensures long-term value and creative quality.”
Stephenson and the Weta team plan to begin engaging with creators and fans on the Lamina1 platform this fall. Participants will be invited to unravel the lore behind a mysterious set of “Artefacts” that build upon Stephenson’s works. Superfans can take on new roles as creators, using their discoveries to contribute to the expansion of the digital universe.
Lamina1 uses blockchain technology and a digital currency called L1 as part of the infrastructure for its content creation platform. The venture says it has onboarded 65,000 active users over the past two years.
Rebecca Barkin, CEO and co-founder of Lamina1, said the collaboration with Weta and Stephenson will provide “first-class pressure testing of our feature set and capability.”
“Together, we’ll not only showcase that outstanding creative quality can be delivered on decentralized networks, but we’ll mature an alternative, contemporary path to IP development and distribution that delivers agency and better economics to creators and their communities,” Barkin said.
Stephenson’s body of work offers plenty to choose from when it comes to worldbuilding. His novels include “Anathem,” which describes a walled-in monastic society that comes in contact with aliens; and “Seveneves,” which weaves a tale of the moon’s destruction and humanity’s flight from a ruined Earth. (Deadline recently reported that Legendary Television has acquired the TV rights to adapt “Seveneves.”) Another one of Stephenson’s novels, “Fall; or, Dodge in Hell,” includes a long passage that’s set in a medieval fantasy world.
But wait — there’s more: When it comes to employing his expertise about exotic realms, Stephenson could also draw upon his past experience as a technical staff member at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, or as chief futurist for the Magic Leap augmented-reality venture.
During a 2019 interview, Stephenson told me that it’s easier to create a fictional world for a novel than it is to create an interactive digital world, due to the level of technology that’s required.
“Doing that on some kind of technology takes it out of the realm of individual creative effort, which is where novelists live, and into the realm of collaborative effort. It’s a much higher burn rate,” Stephenson said. “It requires a lot of specialization in terms of the different skill sets that have to be brought into play to make that work.”