Well, that looks freaking adorable. Check out the goods below.
Niantic today launched Peridot, a groundbreaking and entirely novel pet simulation game set in the real world, enriched by the magic of augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Peridot is available worldwide today on the App Store and Google Play.
Meet the Peridots: Unique Virtual Creatures
Peridots, or Dots, are whimsical, virtual creatures with unique genetic makeups and an extraordinary awareness of their surroundings and environment. They’ve awoken after a centuries-long slumber to a vastly different world than the one they are used to and need the help of Keepers to care for them.
Nurture a deep bond with these digital pets just like you would with a real one. Pet, play fetch, feed, teach them tricks, explore, dress them up, and capture charming photos and videos together.
Unlock Peridots’ Genetic Secrets
Once Dots are old enough, Keepers can work together to hatch a new generation of Dots and diversify the species.
With our “Perigenetics” system, each Dot is procedurally generated with 100% unique DNA, resulting in countless variations of creature looks. The number of variations surpasses the number of stars in the universe or grains of sand on all the Earth’s beaches (2.3 x 10^24 in case you were wondering!).
“In our chaotic world, these creatures bring a dose of joy, whimsy, and comfort into our lives – it’s the delight of owning a real pet minus the mess,” says Ziah Fogel, Director of Production for Peridot. “Our goal was to create a cozy game you could take with you on the go that really pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with our AR platform and can inspire a new generation of AR experiences on mobile and future hardware.”
Over time, discover Peridot Archetypes, inherit rare Traits, and reveal Personality attributes by hatching new Dots. Explore a myriad of creature looks, including Archetypes that resemble real and mythical creatures, like Unicorn, Peacock, Cheetah, Ram and Yeti, with more Archetypes introduced over time and during special game events. Collaborate with players to collect all Archetypes and find rare Traits, with some rarer and harder to attain.
Connecting with other Keepers
Peridot is all about bringing Keepers together in real-life social situations, as they create and care for new Dots. Keepers can use Campfire, Niantic’s social app, to connect to others in the community to hatch new Dots.
“Peridot brings future-looking technology and meets people where they are today, packaged in a fun, whimsical pet experience,” says Kellee Santiago, Head of Production at Niantic. “But the magic really happens when players connect with each other in order to hatch new Dots. I can’t wait for the world to become populated with these unique, fantastical pets – each one the by-product of one human connecting with another human. My hope is that Peridot can help us all rediscover some whimsy with one another.”
Revolutionary AR: Niantic’s Lightship Platform
Developed entirely within Niantic, Peridot is powered by Niantic’s Lightship AR platform to deliver a game that is experienced fully in augmented reality. Thanks to years of computer vision and AI research, breakthroughs like real-time mapping, obstacle occlusion, and semantic segmentation mean that Peridots can interact with real-world surroundings in remarkably realistic ways and get smarter over time.
For example, your Dot will recognize where your couch is and make itself at home for an evening nap. It can even recognize TV screens – and Dots won’t hesitate to tell you how they feel about them, especially if it’s interfering with their daily walk schedule. While you’re out exploring, they can tell different terrains apart, like dirt, water, grass, sand, and concrete – and can distinguish between people, animals, flowers, and more, enabling new gameplay experiences.
Peridot’s Future: Embracing AR Hardware
In designing Peridot, we’re looking to the future. Played on mobile today, the long term vision is that the experience will ultimately develop into a platform for virtual life on future AR hardware, including wearable MR or AR glasses.
Amazon Anywhere Experience
To help Keepers bring the magic of Peridot from augmented reality to reality, Niantic is also collaborating with Amazon to debut a new immersive shopping experience within Peridot called Amazon Anywhere. Amazon Anywhere allows players to extend their love of the game into the real world through an in-game merch store where they can discover and buy physical products from Amazon, including Peridot-branded apparel and accessories. Customers in the U.S. can purchase directly from within the Peridot app and get the same easy checkout and fast delivery as if they were shopping directly on Amazon.com – in between Peridot pet head rubs and AR adventures.
“We’re excited to partner with developers like Niantic to showcase new and creative ways for customers to discover relevant products without leaving the immersive experiences they love while benefiting from the selection, price, and convenience they’ve come to expect from Amazon,” said Steve Downer, Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Amazon.
For more information on Peridot and to keep up with the latest news, please visit the Peridot website.
