Microsoft acquires social VR platform AltspaceVR

Microsoft announced today during a press conference held in San Fransisco that it has acquired the social VR startup AltspaceVR, which suddenly shut down its platform of the same name back in July due to lack of funding.

After being shut down, the free social VR networking platform had told members that they were in talks with a third party (revealed to be Microsoft) in order to save the community.

“With the AltspaceVR team aboard we look forward to building the world’s preeminent mixed reality community,” says Alex Kipman, Microsoft’s inventor of HoloLens. The application will still be able to work on rival VR platforms like the HTC Vive, Google Daydream, and Samsung Gear VR.

In regard to AltspaceVR’s identity under the acquisition, a Microsoft spokesperson assured the community that “AltspaceVR will stay AltspaceVR. Microsoft is most interested in preserving the current community that uses AltspaceVR to connect and interact with new and old friends.”

Gamasutra, VRDC, and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Americas.