Microsoft announced today the acquisition of Sympligon, a developer of automatic 3D data-optimization tools with the same name that are used very widely across the internet.

Corporate Vice President Next Gen Experiences, Windows and Devices Group Kudo Tsunoda explained the acquisition in a post on the Microsoft blog.

"Simplygon’s technology and talent will strengthen our position in 3D creation, making it easier to capture, create and share in 3D. 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.

Simplygon was developed by Donya Labs AB, a privately held company based in Sweden. Donya was founded in 2006 with the aim to be the premier developer of automatic 3D data-optimization solutions. Simplygon is a leader in 3D game optimization, dedicated to helping creators and users of 3D data across industries optimize content pipelines and streamline workflows.

The leadership team, led by CEO Matt Connors, founder and CTO Ulrik Lindahl and co-founder Koshi Hamedi, bring a depth of knowledge around 3D creation optimization, and we’re excited to welcome the team to Microsoft."

Simplygon CEO Matt Connors, CTO Ulrik Lindahl, and Co-Founder Koshi Hamedi also posted a comment on their own site:

"We’re excited to announce that Simplygon has been acquired by Microsoft!

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.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way – our customers, partners, investors and employees."

Simplygon is used by a metric ton of developers across the industry, including Microsoft's own Turn 10 Studios, The Coalition and 343 Industries, but also many more like Naughty Dog, Sony Bend, Nintendo, 2K, Epic Games, Bethesda, Rockstar, Ubisoft, CD Projekt RED,Bungie, Blizzard, Activision, PlatinumGames,Warner Bros., Konami, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Telltale Games, Capcom, Sega and more. You can see all the logos in the picture at the bottom of the post.

It was used and is being used in games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Bloodborne, Conan Exiles, Paragon, Mafia III, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Far Cry 4, Dying Light, Bayonetta 2 and many more.

Do keep in mind that it's extremely unlikely that Microsoft's acquisition will prevent any of Sympligon's current customers from containing to use the tools, pretty much like in all similar acquisitions.