Back in January 2024, we told you that GoPro had announced plans to acquire Australian smart helmet maker Forcite Helmets. Naturally, speculation about the mega action camera maker's plans began almost immediately.
At the time that it made the initial announcement, GoPro also slid a blink-and-you'll-miss-it bit of forward-looking information into place. Further discussion of its upcoming Forcite Helmets plans, it said, would come during its upcoming 2024 Q4 earnings call.
Without further ado, here are five key takeaways that we've now learned about GoPro's plans for Forcite Helmets.
GoPro Plans To Launch Its First Tech-Enabled Motorcycle Helmet In 2025
This piece of information seems less like a question of if it would ever happen, and more when it would ever happen. The mental math to get to GoPro launching a helmet surely became much easier once it made the Forcite acquisition announcement, after all.
Reasons why GoPro wants to get into motorcycle helmets aren't surprising, but actual and specific details about its helmet(s) won't be announced until closer to the planned 2025 launch date.
GoPro Motorcycle Helmets Will Likely Be Sold To Riders Through Existing GoPro Motorsport-Related Retailers
This tidbit also comes as no great surprise. GoPro, as a long-running and internationally recognized action camera brand, has steadily been building relationships with organizers of various motorsports, including in the form of sponsorships.
What follows after that? GoPro camera and accessory sales, as well as future GoPro motorcycle helmets sold through the same channels. While other technology-centered retailers are good places to find regular GoPro action cameras and accessories, that's not typically where riders go when they want to buy a new motorcycle helmet, so clearly a different retail network is called for. The math is clearly mathing here, as well.
GoPro Plans To Provide Motorcycle Helmet Tech Development Assistance To Other Premium Helmet Manufacturers
It's very much like the concept of customer engines, only as applied to slightly different technology.
Use the tech to power your own motorcycle helmets, then offer a tried-and-tested, plug-and-play solution for sale to other OEMs. It's worked for combustion engine makers in both the past and the present, and Energica is currently doing something very similar with its Energica Inside program.
What kinds of tech-enabled motorcycle helmets can we expect to see from both GoPro and the OEMs that come to it for tech helmet solutions? Stay tuned.
GoPro Plans To Extend Its Existing Subscription Plan Structures To Its Future Tech-Enabled Motorcycle Helmet Line
Prior to announcing the Forcite Helmet news, GoPro noted that it had over 2.5 million subscribers in 2023. That represents about 12 percent growth over its subscriber numbers at the end of 2022, and is a trend that it sees continuing as subscriber retention rates over multiple years also remain high.
It's also a trend that will likely continue if GoPro motorcycle helmets prove to be something that riders find desirable. Those who dislike tech-as-a-service subscription plans won't be on board, of course. But depending on how good the implementation is in real-world testing, it's not difficult to understand GoPro's reasoning here.
GoPro's Current Forcite Helmets Acquisition Timeline Is Q1 Of 2024
All of the above plans are contingent upon this one. Once the acquisition is complete, GoPro will be able to further its development of helmets that include comms, navigation, safety alerts, and of course action camera technology for both itself and the OEMs it plans to supply.
We'll continue to follow this story as it develops, so be sure to keep an eye out for future GoPro tech-enabled motorcycle helmet news.
