Apple has reportedly acquired IKinema, a UK-based 3D animation company with expertise in motion capture technology that could be used to turn full bodies of people into animated characters.
The Cupertino giant has officially confirmed the acquisition of IKinema but the company seems to have no plans to reveal the reason or purpose for this acquisition. “Apple buys smaller companies from time to time, and we generally don’t discuss our purpose or plans”, Apple told Financial Times.
In case you’re wondering, IKinema has had some past partnerships with reputed brands including Disney, Fox, Sony, Valve, and Epic Games to name a few. As reported by Financial Times, the company’s cutting-edge live-action motion capture technology was utilized in popular movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Thor: Ragnarok.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Apple is acquiring smaller companies for the betterment of its products. Apple had acquired several AR-based companies for the betterment of its Animoji feature.
This acquisition opens a room of possibilities for the expansion of Memoji. We might be seeing this technology implemented in the next iteration of Memoji. There is a solid chance for this technology to be seen in Apple Arcade games as well since IKinema claims to have expertise in next-gen games .“IKinema helps creators of next-gen games and VR experiences power up to deliver incredible immersion and freedom,” reads a description of a video on its YouTube video.
It will be interesting to know how the tech giant will be making use of motion capture technology. We will have to wait until the next iPhone event to find that out, making the 2020 iPhone event even more exciting.
So, what do you think of this acquisition? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
