Today, Niantic, the publishers of hit real-world games Pokemon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite shared insight on what’s next for the Niantic Real World Platform, along with a number of announcements on their ongoing AR developments. Highlights and direct links for more details follow below.
An Update on the Niantic Real World Platform: Niantic shared a general update on how the company is building towards the future of augmented reality experiences by mapping, sharing and understanding reality. Some of the latest updates include Niantic Wayfarer program, a shared AR multiplayer experience for Pokémon GO called Buddy Adventure (working title) and new developments towards their revolutionary computer vision technology to help create more immersive experiences through occlusion. Check out the blog from Diana Hu, Director of Engineering and head of AR platform, here, to get a better sense of Niantic’s vision towards the future of AR experiences.
Niantic Creator Program & Beyond Reality Fund: Niantic revealed plans to collaborate more with external developers via the Niantic Creator Program and the Niantic Beyond Reality Fund. In addition, they spotlighted a recap of the Niantic Beyond Reality Contest, which was a direct stepping stone for the Niantic Creator Program, which saw JC Soft, a talented family team take home the grand prize with their incredibly inventive game, Run to My Heart. Kellee Santiago, head of developer relations at Niantic shared more about Niantic’s plans to work with talented developers and help them achieve their visions in location-based experiences and AR in a blog post here.
SMB Sponsorship Program: Niantic announced a program for small and medium businesses with brick and mortar stores to activate sponsored locations, making this the first time mom and pop shops will easily and quickly be able to become a part of Niantic’s products. Applications for the Early Access Beta program opened today. Carla Li, product lead on sponsorship platform, shared more details on the program and its importance to Niantic in a blog post here.
