Razer just bought Android phone startup Nextbit

Green-and-black game hardware maker Razer announced today that it's acquired Nextbit, a California-based startup responsible for the "Robin" (pictured) Android-powered smartphone.

This is a notable purchase for Razer, which in recent years has snapped up both THX and Ouya as it launched first an Android-powered micro-console and then its own VR headset.

While the terms of the deal have not been disclosed, game makers should be aware that the folks at Nextbit intend to cease selling their Robin smartphone and work as an independent division within Razer.

"Nextbit will operate as an independent division inside Razer, focused on unique mobile design and experiences," reads a Nextbit blog post attributed to company chief Tom Moss. "To put it simply, we’ll be doing exactly what we’ve been doing all along, only bigger and better."

What they've been doing all along is designing and supporting the Robin, a crowdfunded smartphone that was sold as a "cloud phone" which could intelligently shuffle apps and data back and forth between the device and remote storage as necessary, via Nextbit's Android-based Nextbit OS. Nextbit is ceasing sales of the Robin but intends to continue supporting it through next February.