Global Illumination
Global Illumination was a small NYC studio founded by ex-Instagram and Facebook engineers that built creative tools and a Minecraft-style sandbox game called Biomes. OpenAI announced in August 2023 that it had acquired the company in its first-ever acquisition; the team joined OpenAI to work on core products including ChatGPT. The Biomes code is open-source but the company brand was retired.
Acquisition Details
OpenAI confirmed the acquisition on its blog in Aug 2023, the company's first acquisition ever. Team joined OpenAI; brand retired.
💵 Pricing & access
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🩺 Health Signals
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📅 Timeline
Global Illumination founded
https://globalillumination.com
Open-sources Biomes sandbox game
https://github.com/ill-inc/biomes-game
Acquired by OpenAI
https://openai.com/index/global-illumination-joins-openai/
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What did Global Illumination do?
It built creative and collaboration tools and an open-source Minecraft-like sandbox called Biomes. Most of the team came from Instagram and Facebook.
Why did OpenAI buy them?
OpenAI wanted the team's product and design talent for ChatGPT and core consumer products. It was OpenAI's first-ever acquisition.
Is Biomes still playable?
The hosted Biomes game was sunset; the code remains open-source on GitHub for self-hosting.
Where can I find the founders' work now?
They are at OpenAI, contributing to product surfaces like ChatGPT Canvas and team workspaces.