Prolific author Neal Stephenson‘s digital content platform Lamina1 and “The Lord of the Rings” film franchise special effects company Wētā Workshop are set to collaborate on a “participatory worldbuilding” experience titled “Artefact.”

The experience is expected to offer “a new blueprint for IP expansion through immersive experiences that incorporate fan action and input.”

Per Lamina1’s description for the project, “Stephenson and the Wētā team will begin engaging a global community of creators and fans on the Lamina1 platform this fall, inviting them to unravel the lore behind a mysterious set of ‘Artefacts’ that will build upon the themes and lore from Stephenson’s critically-acclaimed catalog of work. Next, the superfan will take on the new role of creator, utilizing their discoveries to contribute directly to the expansion of the universe.”

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“Artefact” will serve as the flagship project in the Lamina1-Wētā partnership and first major multimedia property launching on Lamina1’s blockchain infrastructure and tooling. Stephenson and Lamina1 co-founder Rebecca Barkin previously partnered with Wētā Workshop during their tenure at Magic Leap.

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Since launching in 2022 and with the debut of its Mainnet in May 2024, Lamina1 has racked up 65,000 active users, per the company.

“This is more than just a new virtual world—it’s a new way to build worlds. It’s a promising new way of looking at what we can offer to both creators and their communities,” Stephenson said. “By collaborating with Wētā 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.”

“To collaborate with people who share our absolute passion for creativity and storytelling, and to make things that can inspire and connect, has long been at the heart of Wētā Workshop,” Wētā Workshop CEO Richard Taylor said. “What an opportunity to be able to do this alongside Neal Stephenson, a visionary with whom Wētā Workshop has built a long-standing relationship and friendship. We can’t wait to see what’s to come.”

Lamina1 CEO and co-founder Rebecca Barkin added: “We built the Lamina1 platform to realize the kind of creator-owned infrastructure that we’d like to build on ourselves, and our collaboration with Wētā & Neal provides 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.”

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