Lytro has announced on its website that it will be winding down the company and the team will be going ‘our separate ways’.
The statement stops short of confirming the big $40 million dollar sale to Google that was reported by numerous anonymous sources last week.
But closing down the company officially would appear to be a next step in that process. The statement reads:
At Lytro, we believe that Light Field will continue to shape the course of Virtual and Augmented Reality, and we’re incredibly proud of the role we’ve been able to play in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We’ve uncovered challenges we never dreamed of and made breakthroughs at a seemingly impossible pace. We’ve had some spectacular successes, and built entire systems that no one thought possible. More importantly, we built a team that was singularly unified in its focus and unrivaled in its dedication. It has been an honor and a pleasure to contribute to the cinema and Virtual Reality communities, but starting today we will not be taking on new productions or providing professional services as we prepare to wind down the company. We’re excited to see what new opportunities the future brings for the Lytro team as we go our separate ways. We would like to thank the various communities that have supported us and hope that our paths will cross in the future.
In the story that TechCrunch broke last week it was reported that a number of the employees at Lytro would be moving on to Google. Google is aiming to build up its VR business, and a company like Lytro could play an important part in that strategy.