NextBit Ends Robin Support To Focus On Razer Gaming Phone

NextBit has ended support for its flagship cloud-powered Robin smartphone.

“Effective August 1st 2017, we’ve shut down support for Robin,” they announced over Twitter.

Effective August 1st 2017, we’ve shut down support for Robin. You can still refer to our online self-help: https://t.co/ZwXZGM04sJ

— Nextbit (@nextbitsys) August 1, 2017

“We’ve only ended customer support at this time, not software support,” they later clarified.

The move comes only months after NextBit was acquired by gaming brand Razer.

At the time it was acquired, NextBit insisted it would continue to offer product support and software updates for its Robin smartphone.

“In order to reach a wider audience and continue our mission, we decided to join with a larger brand,” says Tom Moss, Nextbit Systems Inc. co-founder and CEO, said at the time.

Nextbit launched their cloud-driven Robin smartphone in 2015 after raising money through crowdfunding service Kickstarter. Following the acquisition it was speculated that Razer would use their global presence to expand distribution for the handset into new markets.

However, this new move suggests that Razer are looking to put the NextBit team – which it acquired in its entirety back in January – to work on something else.

Bloomberg recently reported that the company “is developing a mobile device tailored for its consumer base of hardcore gamers” and the NextBit team does include veterans of Google and HTC, so it seems quite possible that their efforts are being redirected towards this new product.