At its big press conference in New York last year, Microsoft unveiled its upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, promising “3D for Everyone.” Now it appears the company is doubling down on that promise.
Microsoft announced Tuesday that it has acquired Simplygon, a Swedish company that focuses on 3D game optimization. Simplygon was developed by Donya Labs AB in Sweden, with a goal of making 3D more accessible for developers. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“Simplygon’s technology and talent will strengthen our position in 3D creation, making it easier to capture, create and share in 3D,” Kudo Tsunoda, corporate vice president of next gen experiences for Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, wrote in a post today. “It builds on and extends our aspirations to empower a new wave of creativity with the Windows 10 Creators Update, Paint 3D and our online creator community at Remix3D.com.”
Microsoft is also pushing into 3D technology through its HoloLens mixed reality headsets, also under Tsunoda’s group.
Simplygon was developed by Sweden’s Donya Labs AB. The company is described by Microsoft as “a leader in 3D game optimization, dedicated to helping creators and users of 3D data across industries optimize content pipelines and streamline workflows.” Simplygon staffers including CEO Matt Connors, founder and CTO Ulrik Lindahl and co-founder Koshi Hamedi are expected to join the Redmond company.
The Simplygon leaders write in their own post, “Throughout our journey, we’ve been laser focused on helping developers push the boundaries of 3D. From our early days delivering advanced level-of-detail solutions, to the adoption of Simplygon SDK by most leading AAA game development studios, and our more recent expansion into enterprise AR/VR, Simplygon has made automatic 3D data-optimization increasingly more accessible to developers. Our next challenge is 3D For Everyone, the ultimate accessibility! We’re thrilled to join forces with Microsoft to make this happen.”
