Microsoft acquires Simplygon to accelerate innovation in enabling 3D for everyone

Kudo Tsunoda:

I am pleased to announce that Microsoft has acquired Simplygon, a premier developer of automatic 3D data-optimization solutions. This acquisition accelerates our 3D For Everyone vision and strategy, which we introduced with the Windows 10 Creators Update at our event this past October in New York.

[Neonridr]

interesting.. these guys have a lot of experience with AR/VR.

[christocolus]

Lots of experience with AR/VR? Nice. Never heard of these guys but anyway it's interesting indeed.

Edit

It seems they also specialize in creating and optimizing 3d game engines and models. A list of some devs who use simplygon. http://i.imgur.com/LorgkC0....

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Eonjay]

Yup this allows them to make money off of it's inclusion into games like with Havoc as well.

[Timesplitter14]

There's no direct link between AR/VR and what Simplygon does. Simplygon basically makes a program that goes through your 3D models and automatically generates lower-polygons versions for doing LODs in games. There's plugins for Simplygon in UE4 and Unity.

However, there are several other alternatives to Simplygon for doing the same thing

[Neonridr]

fair enough. It seems like their stuff is useful in the VR world. I will rephrase that. Although if you go to their website, you see that they are heavily involved in various VR activities.

[ThatGuyDart]

I'm assuming this is for hololens? Good for them I guess.

[BizarroUltraman]

Looks like its a middleware used for many games. This is not exclusive to Hololens.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

This is just like the Havok software acquisition. Simplygon was acquired to make money of off software licensing, and decrease the cost of 1st party development.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Or... they could've used the money fund more 1st party studios. Or to continue funding big exclusives rather than shut them down...

[thekhurg]

Acquisitions like this are passive. It's the MS way. Invest once, and forget about it. Going for 1st party, they have to manage the developers, deal with marketing, implement deadlines, hassle with delays, etc...

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

I don't see anything wrong with this acquisition. Scalebound was most likely canceled because it wasn't progressing well, even after 4 years of development and numerous delays. As much as I like Platnium games, the studio finishing so many other titles before Scalebound, strongly implies a lack of resources and staff being invested into the title.

While MS should be investing into more 1st party studios, such investments are likely much more time consuming and expensive than this one. You can't just expect new games and studios to pop-up out of nowhere. There are certainly unannounced MS titles being done in house or outsourced. We just don't know how many are in development, and when these new games will be arriving. Let's just hope the unannounced titles are good, and aren't just the obvious Xbox staples.

[JasonKCK]

IamTylerDurden1 didn't Sony just close a studio?

[Fishy Fingers]

Apparently cancelling studios and halting all future support for their games is normal and good practice. Cancelling a game on the other hand, might as we kill yourself.

[Liqu1d]

@FishyFingers When MS closed Lionhead and several other studios and Sony closed Evolution and Guerrilla Cambridge there wasn't any gamers claiming it was good, only fanboys were praising those decisions and some fanboys didn't.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Microsoft bought Havok and now this. They going for what powers engines. Imagine for a sec they bought Unreal. How many engines run on Unreal?

[BizarroUltraman]

Unreal? I would say, get real. Epic/Sweeney in particular would not make that move. Thats their bread and butter.

[Obscure_Observer]

Congrats MS! Keep them comming

[MRMagoo123]

keep what coming ? it's a license for a program not a game developer, you are congratulating ms because they are making money off a new license using money that could be spent on games /shrug what ever floats your boat I guess

edit: @bizzaro

MS can have all the money in the world it still won't buy them a decent game if they use it on making one

[BizarroUltraman]

I find it a sound investment just like Havok.

I think MS has enough money to buy middleware company and still invest in new games.

[TheDreamCorridor]

THIS IS NOT A VIDEO GAME DEVELOPER.

[BizarroUltraman]

Yes we know. Was it suppose to be?

[Christopher]

THE SOFTWARE IS USED BY GAME DEVELOPERS, THOUGH.

[SweetLeafSmoker]

They just solidified their demise...

Microsoft might have acquired them today...

But Microsoft will also shut them down by 2020

[ShowanW]

@SweetLeafSmoker...

Do u even know what they do???

Dont be dumb for the sake of being dumb...

[SweetLeafSmoker]

it doesn't matter what type of company it is...

Being acquired and then subsequently shut down isn't only related to video games..

Any company that does anything could be acquired by someone and then shut down..

I suppose you think I'm refering to things like Microsoft and the recent Scalebound or Microsoft and how they destroyed Rare.

Sure in video game terms yeah... But those same terms apply the exact same way regardless of the company and regardless of the product that company makes.

Microsoft will get what they need from this company Simplygon and then they will get rid of them.

It's really as simple as that. Sharks eat prey.. and in this example acquire Simplygon, rape them for all their info, credentials, tech, etc.. and then give them the boot.

But then again.. If this company HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VIDEO GAMES like everyone is saying in the comments... Then WHY the F__K is it even on N4G to begin with?

[ApocalypseShadow]

Microsoft still looking to be the gatekeeper where they get paid for access. Buying Havok. Buying Simplygon. What's next? Unreal? Crytek?

EA tried that with buying criterion with Renderware. Instead of licensing, game companies ran to Unreal last gen. Wonder how this will play out?

[XXanderXX]

Cash flow is a bonus, but think improving their own concepts is a priority and if that means buying those that have something that can help that so be it.

[XXanderXX]

Awesome , nice now put that mother to make money . Now who's next

[Gamist2dot0]

I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't hinder the development of my favorite games.

[BizarroUltraman]

Why would it. Its business as usual.

[Artemidorus]

Microsoft and Nintendo are not listening, I want what I want, not what you want me to have.

[spoonard]

Microsoft acquires Simplygon to accelerate innovation in enabling 3D for everyone...who buys an Xbox...

[PigsR4Eating]

Didn't from software use simplygon for bloodborne? If so I am a little dissapointed as I fear they will have to pay to use it, which they may not, or microsoft won't allow. But on a positive note it's god news for gamers on xbox one.

[Hendog1981]

MG5 also used it and I doubt licensing payments for it will change. The money will just go to MS and MS get to use it for nothing.

[Hendog1981]

You don't become a company worth nearly $500 billion without making some brilliant decisions.