Logitech buys Stream Deck rival Loupedeck

Logitech buys Stream Deck rival Loupedeck

Logitech has acquired Loupedeck — the company behind the self-titled editing console beloved by streamers and creative professionals — for an undisclosed sum, according to a press release published on Tuesday. It’s one of many recent steps that Logitech has taken to gain some ground in the streaming market against competing companies like Elgato, having similarly acquired Mevo — a camera hardware and software company specializing in livestreaming — in 2021.

According to the press release, the partnership between Logitech and Loupedeck is designed to provide “a more seamless experience for creators,” which could potentially provide Loupedeck hardware with more specialized presets out of the box and better integration with Streamlabs — the streaming platform acquired by Logitech back in 2019.

Loupedeck originally started off life as a Lightroom editor before the Indiegogo-backed project moved toward more advanced consoles for creative professionals. Former Nokia designers helped bring Loupedeck to life, and in recent years, it has launched the Loupedeck Live and Loupedeck Live S — devices that are designed to compete directly with Elgato’s Stream Deck. Razer has even licensed Loupedeck’s hardware and software combination for its own Stream Controller.

The Loupedeck Live.
The Loupedeck Live.
Image: Loupedeck

Logitech and Corsair have both been battling it out to buy up gaming-related accessory makers in recent years. In addition to Streamlabs, Logitech has previously acquired Blue Microphones and gaming headset maker Astro. Logitech also recently moved to kill off the Blue mic brand and sell Yeti and Astro products under the Logitech G brand. Corsair has also been on an acquisition spree, buying up mechanical keyboard specialist Drop earlier this week, streaming visuals company Visuals by Impulse in 2021, and both e-sports controller maker Scuf Gaming and enthusiast PC builder Origin PC in 2019.

Logitech says it now intends to embrace Loupedeck’s “strong and growing developer community” and build on the joint “complementary expertise” for tightly coupling hardware and software together. Loupedeck has assured its existing customers and partners that the company will continue to support them and operate the business as usual for the foreseeable future.

It’s not immediately clear how Logitech will handle the Loupedeck branding going forward, though, or whether the company will integrate Loupedeck into its Logitech G app. “Empowering streamers, creators and gamers is a joint passion of Loupedeck and Logitech. Together we are focused on removing all barriers so they can create, edit and stream without limits,” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of Logitech G, in a statement. “This acquisition augments Logitech’s product portfolio today and accelerates our software ambitions of enabling keyboards, mice, and more to become smarter and contextually aware, creating a better experience for audiences across Logitech.”

Given how Logitech has moved Yeti and Astro under its main Logitech G brand, it’s reasonable to assume the same will happen with Loupedeck in the future. In response to an inquiry from The Verge, Logitech spokesperson Ben Starkie said, “Loupedeck will operate as usual for the foreseeable future,” and that the company hasn’t made longer term plans for the brand.

Update July 18th, 2:55PM ET: Added responses from Logitech.

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