Google have made another bold acquisition in their efforts to buffer up Daydream VR’s software line-up, acquiring VR development studio Owlchemy Labs.
Owlchemy Labs is responsible for a number of popular VR games. Their most popular title, Job Simulator, was recognised earlier this year as the #1 bestselling VR game in the world.
It sold 3 million copies worldwide and is available on the HTC Vive, PSVR and Oculus Rift platforms.
Owlchemy said in a blog post that “we both believe that VR is the most accessible computing platform and that there’s a ton of work to be done, especially with regards to natural and intuitive interactions.”
“Together with Google, with which we share an incredible overlap in vision, we’re free to pursue raw creation and sprint toward interesting problems in these early days of VR.”
Google already have a huge market presence via Daydream and Google Cardboard – due to the low-cost of their headsets – but have failed to serve that audience with much in the way of meaningful content.
Ironically, the most popular VR application Google have produced to date has been the 3D art-focused Tiltbrush – available on both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift but not Google’s own headsets.
It’s likely that Google are betting Owlchemy’s track record for success to help grow the content side of their Daydream VR ecosystem.
The tech giant says (in a blog post) that they are ” thrilled to welcome Owlchemy Labs to Google” and that “we’ll be working to create engaging, immersive games and developing new interaction models across many different platforms to continue bringing the best VR experiences to life.”
This latest acquisition follows the similar one, made last month, of HTC Vive music app developer Logan Olson.
