Real-Time Motion Capture Firm Faceshift May Have Been Acquired by Apple

Based on a few whispers and some research, MacRumors believes that Swiss real-time motion capture firm Faceshift may have been acquired by Apple in recent weeks. Faceshift has been working with game and animation studios, as well as smaller companies, on technology to quickly and accurately capture facial expressions using 3D sensors, including releasing Faceshift Studio software with plugins for animation software like Maya and Unity. More recently, the company has been working toward consumer-facing software such as a Skype plugin that would support real-time avatars for video chat.

faceshift_train_capture_animate
Faceshift was launched in 2011 out of the Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and has shown off some impressive demos of its technology in a number of settings. In mid-2013, the company brought on industry veteran Doug Griffin, formerly of Industrial Light & Magic and Electronic Arts, to head up a San Francisco office.


Faceshift has clearly been acquired by another company in recent weeks, as noted in a Swiss company registry filing from August 19 showing the three original corporate directors having stepped down as of August 14 and being replaced by Baker & McKenzie mergers and acquisitions attorney Martin Frey. Frey does not appear to have any direct links with Apple, but Apple has frequently used Baker & McKenzie's services in a number of countries around the world, including management of some of Apple's Swiss trademarks.

MacRumors contacted several people in position to know about Faceshift's fate to ask if they could confirm whether Apple has acquired the company, and while none were willing to offer outright confirmation, we received no denials and in one case received confirmation of Apple's current interest in face-tracking technology. Apple did not respond to our request for comment on the possible acquisition.

faceshift_avatars
In one video from the Silicon Valley Virtual Reality expo in May, Griffin discusses Faceshift's technology, noting the demo is running using a Carmine 3D sensor from PrimeSense, which Apple acquired in 2013. Griffin is quick to point out he doesn't know whether Apple has interest in the area, but just three months later, something significant has happened at Faceshift as the company has for the most part shut down its website that formerly advertised its upcoming consumer effort and a partnership for integration with Intel's RealSense 3D camera systems.

So what we're showing right now is the PrimeSense Carmine. It's a camera that was originally the internal guts of the original Kinect. And actually they built a really cool camera a couple years ago -- a really tiny one that's embeddable -- and Apple bought that company. We don't know what's happening with Apple. We're kind of hoping they might do something in the future.

Griffin himself has very recently updated his LinkedIn profile to list his occupation as "Considering New Opportunities", suggesting he is no longer with Faceshift following its acquisition. A second Bay Area employee of Faceshift, Steve Macdonald, has also just changed his occupation to "Currently Looking For New Opportunities", showing his employment with the company ended in July.

Faceshift has removed nearly all mentions of its previous Faceshift Studio software from its website and has gone silent on Twitter and Facebook. The company is apparently still answering support requests, but offering no details on the fate of Faceshift Studio beyond its discontinuation.

Taken together, the evidence indicates Faceshift has indeed been acquired by another company that appears to be changing Faceshift's focus away from its current software products. While we have not been able to find a smoking gun linking the purchase to Apple, the highly secretive nature of the acquisition is typical of Apple and signs of Apple's ongoing interest in technology closely related to Faceshift's all make for a tantalizing possibility.

Back in 2010, Apple acquired Swedish facial recognition firm Polar Rose, and the company has filed several patent applications related to the technology. And of course real-time 3D motion capture is the key technology of PrimeSense, for which Apple reportedly paid nearly $350 million.

As for what Apple could do with Faceshift's technology, there are a number of possibilities ranging from the fun such as real-time avatars for FaceTime video chats to the more serious including biometrics for unlocking devices or authorizing payments via facial recognition.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...

Top Rated Comments

JackANSI Avatar
128 months ago
FaceKit?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theheadguy Avatar
128 months ago
iOS X, 2016 ;)
Aww, that's cute... you don't know Apple yet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
128 months ago
Faceshift. The only question, which side is the Orc on? ;)
I'm going to get Shift-Faced tonight, myself.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T'hain Esh Kelch Avatar
128 months ago
I can now look like Steve Balmer while talking to my boss over Facetime? Sweet!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
129 months ago
biometrics for unlocking devices or authorizing payments via facial recognition
This makes the most sense to me. Just look at your iPhone or Mac and it unlocks for you. With a camera embedded in a television, just walk up to it and it automatically loads your shows and preferences.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
128 months ago
I don't get it. And thats really not 2 words.
Two words, two-and-a-half, three, however you look at doesn't matter. I'm giving examples about how Apple has acquired companies in the past and used their technologies to develop their own products in a relatively short time, which is why I had said we could see something come out of this acquisition by 2016 in iOS X.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)