Facebook decision to acquire Oculus hasn’t been well received, at least by the people who provided the initial funding for this company through Kickstarter. It initially raised $2.5 million by seeking contributions from anyone and everyone, and confirmed yesterday that Facebook is picking it up for $2 billion. The New York Times ran a report yesterday citing a source which claimed that post acquisition, Facebook is going to rebrand Oculus with its logo and interface. If that would have been true, it would be akin to sprinkling salt on the wounds of all those who’re opposed to this acquisition.
Facebook has officially denied the claim. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a spokesperson for the company says that the claim isn’t true and “not in the spirit” of its relationship with Oculus. Come to think of it, the idea of Facebook “rebranding” Oculus doesn’t make much sense. If you consider its VR headset, its primary use is VR gameplay and cinematic experiences, where a Facebook interface can’t really be slapped on.
The company also says that it is going to let Oculus operate on its own, independently, similar to the arrangement it has with WhatsApp. The popular cross platform messaging service is the second major billion-dollar acquisition that Facebook has made in recent months.