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Following Microsoft's Xamarin acquisition, RoboVM calls it quits

By Daniel Kobialka Apr 21, 2016 4:02pm

RoboVM, a company that enables native iOS and Android development in Java, recently announced it will discontinue its service on April 30, 2017.

Xamarin acquired RoboVM in October. At that time, Xamarin noted the acquisition "[brought] together the top two languages in enterprise development and a path to mobile for nearly every enterprise developer."

However, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) purchased Xamarin in February, a move that played a role in RoboVM's decision to call it quits.  

"Over the past few weeks, we've been working with the teams at Xamarin and Microsoft to assess the technology and business conditions of RoboVM to determine the path forward for the products. After looking at the complete landscape for mobile development with Java, the decision has been made to wind down development of RoboVM," RoboVM CEO Henric Müller wrote in a blog post. 

Some developers questioned Microsoft's motives following RoboVM's announcement. 

Meanwhile, other developers said they would continue to push forward without RoboVM's service.

There also were some regrets from developers who wanted Microsoft and Xamarin to explore ways to capitalize on RoboVM's service.

Of course, some developers applauded Microsoft for its ability to acquire and overcome its competition altogether.