Wellington Makes Pitch as Global Games and VFX Hub

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 growth and development of the sector. Wellington is showing itself to be a powerhouse in the international game development scene,” said Cole.

“Wellington will always be home to more traditional filmmaking methods, but we see this creative tech as a major contributor to our creative economy, especially in terms of weightless exports,” said Mark Westerby, head of attraction at Screen Wellington.

WetaFX has recent credits including “Cocaine Bear,” “The Last of Us,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.” 37 Degrees Studio has contributed to “Legendary Travel.”

The “Make it Here” reel premiered at an industry event on Tuesday (New Zealand time) at Massey University’s National Academy of Screen Arts and ahead of a series of location events such as Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market and Location Expo in Las Vegas next month.

Related upcoming events in Aotearoa include the New Zealand Game Developers’ Conference (17-19 October), Wellington Games Week (13-19 October), Show Me Shorts (16-20 October), NZ Youth Film Festival (6-7 December), Maoriland Film Festival (March 2025), Wellington Animation Film Festival (March 2025), and Square Eyes: Around the World in Eight Days (Kids Film Festival and animation workshops).

Watch the showreel here.