The developers of popular iOS drawing app Paper, FiftyThree has been acquired by cloud-based file transfer company WeTransfer.
Wired reports the terms of the deal aren’t available at the moment, only that WeTransfer has acquired FiftyThree’s “entire patent portfolio and all assets for its apps.”
Today FiftyThree announced its apps and team have been acquired by WeTransfer, a cloud-based file transfer company with headquarters in Amsterdam and Los Angeles. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but WeTransfer said it had acquired the company’s entire patent portfolio and all assets for its apps. FiftyThree’s executive team and product teams will stay on board for now. As for the future of FiftyThree’s suite of apps, including Paper, which has 25 million users, the company says the apps will live on with “increased investment and support.”
FiftyThree, in a blog post, reassured Paper users that it has “big ideas cooking.”
For the millions using Paper and Paste, we want to assure you that we are dedicated now more than ever to building and growing both tools. This doesn’t change our path, it only accelerates it — the same great team will continue working on both tools. If you’re a paying Paste or Paper customer, nothing is changing around pricing or functionality in the near term, and we’ll keep you well-informed of any upcoming changes that may impact you. We’ve got a few big ideas cooking that we think you’ll be thrilled about.
FiftyThree’s Paper app, originally released as an iPad-only app that was named “iPad App of the Year,” received a major update last year. The company also dabbles in iPad drawing accessories, as it also produces the popular “Pencil” stylus for iPad, which was released long before the debut of Apple’s own “Apple Pencil.”