Ziva VFX, Ziva Real-Time, and Ziva Face Trainer will no longer be sold or receive technical support.
Unity Technologies continues its spree of unpopular decisions by discontinuing Ziva's tools, including Ziva VFX, Ziva Real-Time, Ziva Face Trainer, and related Ziva products, the rights to which the company acquired two years ago, back in early 2022.
Starting April 2, 2024, the aforementioned software will no longer be sold or receive technical support, the decision made as part of Unity's ongoing company reset. Existing subscribers can maintain access by converting their licenses to a five-year term through the Ziva customer portal. Furthermore, Unity has reached an agreement with DNEG for an exclusive perpetual license of the Ziva IP, with the caveat being that Unity retains ownership of all technology acquired from Ziva Dynamics.
"We understand that this news may come as a disappointment to anyone eager to experience the benefits of Ziva products firsthand," reads the notice on Ziva's official website. "However, as part of Unity’s company reset, we’ve concluded that we must focus our efforts and resources on our core: the Unity Editor and Runtime, and Monetization Solutions.
"We're excited to announce that DNEG has acquired the exclusive license to Ziva from Unity," commented DNEG. "This investment in the Ziva toolset and its future development will further enhance our creature pipeline, supporting our artists in the creation of captivating digital characters and creatures across projects.
The technology will also support our new DNEG IXP division, powering the creation of real-time interactive digital humans and creatures for upcoming projects in the worlds of gaming, virtual concerts, and theme park ride experiences, and for next-generation headsets such as the Apple Vision Pro."
Read Unity's official announcement regarding Ziva's discontinuation here and don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.