New Zealand’s Wellington Makes Pitch as Global Games and VFX Hub (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Currently hosting production of the “Avatar” film series, New Zealand’s capital Wellington is making a renewed pitch as one of the best-equipped games, VFX and animation producing hubs in the world.

It has unveiled a new showreel “Make It Here” ahead of a succession of location, production and festival-type events. Previously named ‘UNESCO City of Film,’ Wellington is home to well-known companies including Weta Workshop, Weta FX and Park Road Post-Production and boasts a leading film school in Victoria University of Wellington’s Miramar Creative Centre.

The city has hosted iconic film productions including James Cameron’s “Avatar” and its still in-production sequels, Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and, more recently, Taika Waititi’s “Time Bandits,” Jemaine Clement and Paul Yates’ “Wellington Paranormal” and “After the Party.” The city is now aiming to expand use of its games and software businesses. “Many people are unaware of the incredible success stories emerging both from Wellington’s games industry and from studios across New Zealand (Aotearoa),” said Chantelle Cole, program director for the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) at support body NZ On Air. “Make it Here” features work from a host of creative production companies based in the region, including Big Adventure, Floating Rock, Weta FX, Lost Cosmonauts, PikPok, A44 Games, Beyond, Wildboy and more.“Studios like PikPok, one of New Zealand’s oldest and largest, have seen their games downloaded over half a billion times.

While Dinosaur Polo Club’s titles, ‘Mini Metro’ and ‘Mini Motorways,’ are enjoyed by over 10 million players globally – that’s double the population of Aotearoa. [..] The GDSR was set up to help support.