Virtual world creation tools Improbable and Unity Technologies anchored investment in the AR/VR industry in Q2.
AR/VR adviser Digi-Capital tracked $800 million worth of investment in the industry throughout Q2. While that sounds like a lot, this amount was centered around two major technology builders. Improbable, which is building a cloud computing platform aimed at enabling the rapid creation of multiplayer games, raised $500 million in May. Also that month, Unity Technologies raised $400 million for its creation toolsets which are used to make interactive experiences across handhelds and consoles as well as VR and AR headsets. About half of the money Unity raised went to its employees.
Both companies remain at the forefront of VR’s push toward mainstream adoption, with Improbable heading in the direction of allowing millions of people to experience a virtual world at the same time while Unity works at the forefront of development that could allow anyone to build and shape virtual worlds using intuitive tools.
It isn’t unusual for a few companies to suck up most of the investment dollars in the emerging AR/VR industry, with Magic Leap usually being the recipient of enormous funding totaling around $1.4 billion to date.
Digi-Capital suggested that Facebook’s camera platform and Apple’s ARKit could shift investment toward mobile AR developers in the next quarter.
Correction: Post updated to describe Digi-Capital as an advisory firm.
