- Apple has quietly acquired iKinema, a British company that develops motion capture technology.
- Regulatory filings in the UK show iKinema has appointed Apple's international corporate lawyer Peter Denwood to its board of directors, a clear sign of acquisition.
- One UK venture capitalist told Business Insider late last year that Apple has been actively hunting for visual effects startups in the UK over the last year.
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Apple has quietly acquired iKinema, a British company that develops motion capture technology for use in a variety contexts, including virtual reality and web animations.
At the time of writing, the tech giant has not publicly announced the acquisition, but regulatory filings show that Peter Denwood, international corporate lawyer at Apple, was appointed to iKinema's board on September 12. The filings also show that the company's registered office changed on September 26, from the town of Godalming in Surrey to New Bridge Street in London, all but confirming an Apple takeover. The London offices of Apple's law firm, Baker McKenzie, are located on New Bridge Street.
We first saw the news via MacRumours, which cited a source saying iKinema has not informed customers about its status "for weeks" and that a deal had been confirmed in a private industry group on Facebook this week.
Read more: Apple has bought more than 20 companies since November, but we know about only 6 of them
iKinema specialises in software for motion capture, games and VR. Its website currently offers little information about the company or its dealings. But the firm does have a YouTube channel showcasing video games that use its software, including the ability to depict characters moving with human-like fluidity. One video also shows footage from several VR titles, in which users navigate their virtual environments smoothly and seamlessly.
One venture capitalist investor told Business Insider that Apple has been actively scouting out interesting visual effects companies in the UK.
Apple has become increasingly interested in augmented and virtual reality, and the iKinema buy dovetails both with its ARKit software platform for developers, and its rumoured attempts at building AR glasses. It's also applied to patent a mixed VR/AR headset and a version of the Apple Watch that can track hand movements in VR games.
Business Insider has contacted iKinema and Apple for comment.
Shona Ghosh contributed to reporting.
