Apple buys Star Wars motion capture startup Faceshift

In a statement Apple confirmed the news saying “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our objective or plans”.

A couple of months ago it was reported that Apple had apparently acquired facial motion capture technology firm FaceShift. TechCrunch has verified that Faceshift, a startup located in Zurich that’s developed technology to make animated avatars as well as other figures that get someone’s facial expressions instantly has been snapped up by Apple. Several Faceshift employees have now joined Apple and are working out of the company’s European offices.

In gaming experiences, people can adopt avatars whose faces will alter based on the players’ actual expressions for a more immediate and realistic experience.

The technology can be used for more than just movies – video games are another solid area where such facial capture is invaluable. It may also have security applications, with the software able to recognise faces of identification purposes. It is used in Star Wars: The Force Awakens to give non-human characters believable expressions. MacRumors had previously uncovered strong evidence that Apple bought Faceshift back in August. Nico Scapel, a visual effects specialist heads up the London office having an impressive and long record.

Prior to Apple’s acquisition, Faceshift had a web site that offered a demonstration of how it worked, along with some support documentation for developers using it.

You can view a fundamental archived form of the website that is first here (via Wayback Machine).