Google Buys Job Simulator VR Game Developer Owlchemy Labs
Google just pulled off a major VR coup by scooping up Owlchemy Labs, a game development studio based in Austin, Texas that is best known for its VR title Job Simulator. The company's latest game, Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality, has also helped put Owlchemy Labs on the map, though it is Job Simulator that has racked up multiple awards and was named as an official launch title for the HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR.
Now Owlchemy Labs is a Google property, though what exactly the sultan of search plans to do with its new development studio is not yet clear. In a short blog post announcing the acquisition, Google praised Owlchemy Labs for setting a high bar in VR engagement while maintaining a "great sense of humor."
"Together, 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. There is so much more to build and learn, so stay tuned!," Google said.
In a separate announcement posted to its website, Owlchemy Labs spent considerable more words on the acquisition. The company is obviously super enthused at joining an outfit like Google, calling today a "REEAAALLY BIG" day for the development studio. Going forward, the company is under the impression that it will continue building VR content for each of the aforementioned platforms, with a continued focus on hand interactions.
"This means continuing our mission to build VR for everyone, and doing all of this as the same silly Owlchemy Labs you know and love. We are continuing to do all of this with even more support and focus on building awesome stuff. It’s incredibly exciting that Google and Owlchemy are so well aligned on our goals and vision for the future of VR," Owlchemy Labs stated in a blog post.
From the outside looking in, this appears to be a great fit for Google, which itself is known for combining technology with humor. Owlchemy Labs is comprised of a zany team of nearly two dozen individuals who now have the backing of one of the richest companies in the world. So not only is this a good day for Google, it could also be one for VR.
