Google has announced that it’s in the process of acquiring Owlchemy Labs, the virtual reality studio behind pioneering, critically acclaimed VR titles like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality.
Google says that Owlchemy will continue developing VR games for multiple platforms, but now has the financial backing of the tech giant. The deal seems very similar to Google’s acquisition of Tilt Brush developer Skillman & Hackett back in 2015, though the financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Google has acquired Owlchemy Labs! The future of Owlchemy is brighter than ever! We’re all absurdly excited! #VR https://t.co/QpaqSJGE4w pic.twitter.com/QsPh41nJ5B
— Owlchemy Labs (@OwlchemyLabs) May 10, 2017
“We have a slate of original games that we have in [the] production and prototyping phase, and we’re going to continue to do that,” said Owlchemy co-founder Alex Schwartz in a statement. “We’re very excited to continue to do that with the support of Google behind us.”
Owlchemy is best known for its ability to develop games that mimic the feeling of using your actual hands in the real-world, withthe studio’s recent blog post regarding the acquisition emphasizing this.
“[We’re] continuing to focus on hand interactions and high quality user experiences, like with Job Simulator,” reads the blog post.
It’s still unclear if Owlchemy will begin working on projects designed for Google’s low-cost Daydream virtual reality platform given that its controller features limited motion controls. The announcement does however mention that it’s possible Owlchemy could soon begin contributing to Google’s Daydream Labs initiative.
It’s worth noting that the studio says it will continue engaging in the collaboration that’s currently going on in the broader VR development community via the sharing of knowledge and best practices.
Source: Owlchemy
