HTC today released an official statement in response to rumours that it was considering spinning off its Vive virtual reality business into a separate company owned by itself and HTC CEO and Chairwoman Cher Wang. The terse statement denies the rumours, indicating that its VR business still stay in-house. The full statement reads:
Recent media reports in Taiwan, such as by United Evening News, stating that Cher Wang is planning to spin off HTC’s VR operations into an independent entity that will be wholly owned by Wang is incorrect. HTC will continue to develop our VR business to further maximize value for shareholders.
A closer look at the statement finds that HTC only really denies that its VR business will be spun off “into independent entity that will be wholly owned by Wang.” If so, could HTC still be planning to spin off its Vive VR business but to a company with different ownership than Wang herself? HTC Source certainly believes so. It suspects that a spin-off is still in the cards but that it may only happen at some point after HTC Vive pre-orders begin in late February.
Virtual reality is expected to become big business in the next few years. Both established and new players are quickly entering the space in a bid to establish themselves as dominant forces in this new market. With its smartphone business in the doldrums, HTC is certainly hoping that its Vive VR business can revive its flagging fortunes and return it to its former glory.
Sources : HTC // HTC Source