Meta buys Berlin start-up - and closes it down

The parent company of Facebook and Whatsapp took over Lofelt in order to make progress in the field of virtual reality. Shortly after the takeover, the start-up was apparently forced to close.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram, has taken over the Berlin-based start-up Lofelt. Shortly afterwards, the start-up was forced to close its doors, as several media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, reported in unison. According to the reports, the haptics start-up had already closed its doors a few months ago. It has now been revealed that the takeover of Meta was the reason for this.

Founded in 2014, the company had already attracted attention with its products some time ago. The Berlin-based company produced a wristband that could imitate a subwoofer using haptic effects. Larger companies from the gaming sector have also relied on the technology to offer players an experience that is as close to reality as possible.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Meta acquired the start-up back in June, including some members of the 25-strong team. Lofelt has already raised several million euros from investors in the past.

The start-up's website states: "Lofelt is now embarking on a new adventure and we will be launching our products on July 7, 2022. We greatly appreciate the support and feedback you have given us since the launch of Lofelt Studio." It continues: "We have enjoyed working with you all on our first product, the Basslet, our haptic broadband voice coil actuators and more recently on the development of our haptic design apps for desktop and mobile platforms. We want to make sure you have enough time to finish all the projects you started with Studio and say goodbye to our tools."