Razer Buys Nextbit, Makers of the Robin Smartphone.
Razer™, the gaming laptop, and peripheral company juggernaut, recently confirmed it’s acquisition of smartphone developer Nextbit. The company stated in a recent press release that it “has acquired the majority of the assets of Nextbit Systems Inc. and has brought onboard the management and employees of the company.” Financial details of the transaction, which closed earlier this month, were not disclosed. Though sales of the phone were halted almost immediately after the announcement, Razer says Nextbit will remain predominantly independent, operating as a standalone business unit under its own management and apart from the ongoing business of its parent company. Nextbit will also be able to continue providing product support and software updates for its Robin smartphone.
“Nextbit is one of the most exciting companies in the mobile space,” says Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan. “With the talent that Nextbit brings to Razer, we look forward to unleashing more disruption and growing our business in new areas.”
Nextbit Systems Inc. was founded in 2013 by early Android veterans Tom Moss and Mike Chan and is based in San Francisco. Nextbit’s Robin, a “cloud-first” smartphone that utilizes cloud storage to store phone data, was a Kickstarter success, reaching US $1 million in crowdfunding. The phone failed to make a lasting impact in the mobile industry, however, suffering performance and durability issues. Now with Razor’s support, the acquisition might just be able to regain its momentum. “In order to reach a wider audience and continue our mission, we decided to join with a larger brand,” says Tom Moss, Nextbit Systems Inc. co-founder, and CEO. “We’re lucky to have found a company in Razer that shares our value of pushing the boundaries of what our devices can do.”
What this acquisition entails for consumers remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that this is good news for Nextbit and all their backers. We’ll definitely be seeing more from them in the years to come.