Google Buys Job Simulator, Rick & Morty VR Game Studio

Owlchemy Labs, the Texas-based studio behind the virtual reality game Job Simulator and Rick & Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, has been acquired by none other than technology behemoth Google.

In a blog post, the studio said, "Today is a REAAAALLY BIG day for Owlchejmy. As we look to the future with Google by our side, we couldn't be happier."

The statement continues: "Our plan to build awesome things will continue forward stronger than ever."

Going forward, Owlchemy said it plans to continue making "high-quality VR content" for PlayStation VR, Oculus Touch, and HTC Vive, though no specific projects were announced.

"This means continuing to focus on hand interactions and high quality user experiences, like with Job Simulator," Owlchemy said. "This means continuing our mission to build VR for everyone, and doing all of this as the same silly Owlchemy Labs you know and love. We are continuing to do all of this with even more support and focus on building awesome stuff. It's incredibly exciting that Google and Owlchemy are so well aligned on our goals and vision for the future of VR."

Owlchemy was founded in 2010 as a team of four, and is now staffed up with 23 people. The studio's breakout hit was Job Simulator, a game that the studio said is anything but a "safe bet."

"We ignored the cries of 'But VR died in the 90s!' and we instead spent over a year envisioning what was possible with a tracked head and hands," Owlchemy said. "After a ton of experimenting and prototyping, we emerged with Job Simulator as a day one launch title for HTC Vive, Oculus + Touch, and PlayStation VR."

In its own blog post, Google said it will be working with Owlchemy to develop "engaging, immersive games and developing new interaction models across many different platforms to continue bringing the best VR experiences to life. There is so much more to build and learn, so stay tuned!"

Some of Owlchemy Labs' other titles include Jack Lumber and Dyscourse.