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Niantic announces real-world events for its Pokémon and Harry Potter games
Niantic's real-world events for 2019 were so successful that they generated $249 million in tourism revenue across Chicago, Dortmund and Montréal. That's what the company has revealed in a new events website, which it launched alongside its festival lineup for 2020. Niantic has several events in store for Pokémon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Ingress players across the globe in the coming months.
The anime adaptation of mobile game 'Ingress' is now on Netflix
More than a year ago, we were told Niantic, Inc. was working on an Ingress: The Animation streaming series. Today, the anime show, a sci-fi adventure thriller, is available on Netflix, and you can watch the trailer below.
'Pokémon Go' creator Niantic to develop GPS-based tourism games
It was at the helm of GPS/AR/Maps-based "exergaming" in 2013 with Ingress, saw phenomenal success with Pokémon Go, and will launch a location-based Harry Potter mobile game next year. Now, Niantic is making the natural move into tourism-focused games. In partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as part of its Travel.Enjoy.Respect program, the games company will create new experiences that encourage players to explore and discover the hidden histories of both their own neighborhoods and further afield.
Niantic revives ‘Ingress’ for the post–’Pokémon Go’ world
Niantic has a problem. It's the king of GPS/AR/Maps–based "exergaming," but it's leasing its empire. Pokémon Go is built on IP it doesn't own or control, and a portion of the profits are sent back to Japan. A chunk of the proceeds from its forthcoming Harry Potter game, already a likely blockbuster, will go to J.K. Rowling. It's why Niantic is taking the time to remind the world that its own, original IP, Ingress, still exists.
Niantic plans 'Pokémon Go' events in US national parks
In addition to being a fun and entertaining pastime in its own right, augmented reality games have also proven to be a decent way to make players more physically active. Niantic, the developer of two of the most well-known AR games — Pokemon Go and Ingress, — is about to take this aspect further by encouraging players to visit nature trails and scenic rivers across the US. It's also planning to host a series of small-scale events in American national parks.
An 'Ingress' anime series is coming to Netflix
There's no question that Pokémon Go has overshadowed Niantic's original augmented reality game, Ingress. The developer may have a clever way of revitalizing interest when Ingress' major revamp arrives, though: launch a streaming video series to capture gamers' attention. Variety has learned that Netflix, Fuij TV and Crafter are collaborating on Ingress: The Animation, an anime series that will serve as an introduction to the next game, Ingress Prime. Both are expected to launch sometime around October.
Niantic will let developers use the 'Pokemon Go' AR platform
Niantic Labs, the developer behind Pokémon Go, Ingress and the upcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will allow third-party developers to use the AR platform that drives those games. It's called the Real World Platform and developers interested in it can sign up through Niantic to get more information about the platform and how to get access to it. "Because we are so excited about the opportunity in advanced AR, we want other people to be able to make use of the Niantic Real World Platform to build innovative experiences that connect the physical and the digital in ways that we haven't yet imagined," CEO John Hanke said in a blog post today. "We will be selecting a handful of third-party developers to begin working with these tools later this year."
Niantic to host 48 real-life Ingress events around the world
Niantic hasn't forgotten its old, less-popular game Ingress even though its name has mostly been associated with Pokémon Go these past couple of years. After giving us a sneak peek of its revamp called Ingress Prime late last year, the AR game-maker has revealed that it's hosting 48 free real-world events for the hidden-reality sci-fi game in 2018 and 2019. They'll take place around the globe, adding layers of mystery in augmented reality to cities, turning them into interactive locations where players can find "portals," mostly on public art and landmarks.
‘Pokémon Go’ will soon incorporate real-world weather
Pokémon Go is getting a slew of new Pokémon this week as well as a dynamic weather system later this month. The game will soon reflect the real weather around you and that will affect which Pokémon you see and how strong they are. If it's raining, for example, you'll see more water-type Pokémon than usual and they'll start out with a higher CP than they typically would.
'Ingress' revamp will take cues from 'Pokémon Go'
With all the buzz around Pokémon Go and an upcoming Harry Potter game, it's easy to forget about Niantic's original augmented reality title, Ingress. It's looking old in the tooth, and not just because of its 2012-era visuals -- it's using aging tech that was made long, long before augmented reality hit the mainstream. The pioneering release is about to catch up, though. Niantic has offered a peek at Ingress Prime, a revamp of its hidden-reality sci-fi game due to launch in 2018. It'll sport a more polished, up-to-date design, but the biggest improvements will come from Pokémon Go... and not just the expected under-the-hood elements.
What's next for 'Pokémon Go'? Custom locations and more monsters
As Pokémon Go continues its global assault, Niantic Labs founder John Hanke took to a panel discussion at Comic-Con to tease at what's coming next to the app -- and how the team hopes maintain this insane momentum. To start, more Pokémon critters will eventually make their way to Go, although Hanke's wording makes it sound like not all of them will make the cut. "Beyond first generation [the original 150], there are some others that may make their way into our universe. We're looking forward to finding interesting ways to make that happen in the coming months and years." The CEO went on to elaborate on developments for the in-game world too -- and that's where it got interesting.
'Pokemon Go' launches in Japan under golden arches
Despite being the true home of Pocket Monsters, until today, Japanese fans weren't able to download the smartphone phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. As rumored, Niantic Labs' game launches in Pikachu's homeland with a promotional tie-in with McDonald's (it's already offering Pokemon toys with its kids' meals in anticipation) and the app maker says more sponsored locales and events are on their way. Ingress, the location-based game that preceded Pokemon Go, ran multiple promotions with companies including McDonald's and SoftBank in Japan -- as well as Jamba Juice in the US. Expect see plenty more sponsored locations in Pokemon Go (well, gotta make some money when the app is free to download), but what exactly do the sponsored locations entail? The good news is that the tie-in doesn't seem to change much at all -- and could even be good news for some players.
'Pokémon Go' field test signups are now live
Pokémon Go, the mobile app that allows users to travel the globe on their own Pokémon journey, is finally open for registration for United States users. Niantic Labs' field test is available to sign up for right now, with users being chosen to try out the upcoming game later on.
'Pokémon Go' uses your phone for real-life Mewtwo hunting
We've seen Pokémon in VR before, but how about getting them about and playing with them in the real world? That's what Pokémon Go wants to achieve. It's a collaboration between Niantic Labs (the folks behind the GPS-based Ingress) and The Pokémon Company. From what we can tell, it's going to use Niantic's location-based backend to have you catching, fighting and trading the pocket monsters in the streets around you. Of course, there's a wearable involved dubbed the Pokémon Go Plus too. It's a Bluetooth device from Nintendo that's shaped like one of the series' Pokéballs (capture-gizmos that store monsters after defeating them) that pairs with both Android and iOS to flash and vibrate, giving you alerts when something is happening in the game in your vicinity. It goes a bit further than that though, and you can even use the Go Plus to capture a monster with it.
Google's Alphabet doesn't include N for Niantic Labs
Google's newly-created parent company Alphabet apparently has room for only one "N" brand -- Ingress and Field Trip creator Niantic Labs is telling users that it's becoming an independent company. Google will stick around as a supporter, but there will be "amazing new partners" helping out in the near future. Although the company is shy about where it's going (we're told you'll hear more "in the weeks ahead"), it plans to stick to its exploration-minded projects. You shouldn't expect a major shift in direction any time soon, in other words, although you can opt out of transferring your data by September 11th if you're skittish about the whole thing.
Google taking augmented reality game 'Ingress' to TV
Google and its video game studio, Niantic Labs, are adding another layer to their augmented reality app, Ingress, by bringing it to TV, The Information reports. In Ingress, players travel -- in physical reality -- to marked locations called "portals," and they hack and defend those positions using iOS and Android devices, including Android Wear. It's a lot of mystery, stealth and geolocation wrapped in a sci-fi vibe, and players are meant to feel like operatives in world-changing missions. Plus, the app has been downloaded more than 10 million times since launching in 2012. Yeah, that sounds like it could make for a fairly entertaining TV show.
Google's augmented reality game 'Ingress' comes to Android Wear
Remember Ingress, the Google-developed project that entices you to get outside with the promise of some light gaming? On top of iOS and Android, it'll soon work on Android Wear, meaning you can join in the fun with your smartwatch rather than just your smartphone (though you'll still need that too, of course). The idea is to get teams together to play on either on the "enlightened" (establishment) side, or as a rebel on team "resistance." Senior members can create missions, in which players attack, defend or reinforce "portals" based on local landmarks like village squares or statues. The game notifies you when friendly or enemy portals are in range, and whether or not they're under attack -- with a Google Now-style card guiding you to the precise location, as shown below.
Google asks for donations through charity 'portals' in 'Ingress'
Google's augmented reality exploration game, Ingress, has had a pretty eventful 2014, including an iOS release back in July and the addition of user-created missions a few months later. Now, developer Niantic Labs is closing out the year by getting in the holiday spirit. In a recent blog post, the Ingress team announced its #MissionsForGood campaign, aiming to entice players on both sides of the augmented reality conflict to give back to their respective communities during the holidays. Using the recently added user-created missions feature, verified agents (level 8 and higher) can designate portals at or near local charities and add the #MissionsForGood hashtag in mission titles. The team also added a unique medal for the campaign.
Ingress' user-created missions give added meaning to your walking tours
Ingress certainly has a following among augmented reality gamers, but its relative lack of direction can be intimidating -- especially if you're a newcomer. Where do you go first? As of today, you'll (usually) have an easy answer. Google's Niantic Labs has added user-created missions to the game that give you an incentive to get moving. Effectively, they're walking tours with objectives. You're usually asked to hack portals or solve puzzles at each stop, with the promise of special medals at the end. Each mission includes both average completion times and ratings, so you'll likely know in advance whether or not a given adventure is worth the effort.
The Goog wants to reintroduce you to its MMOARG Ingress
Remember Ingress, the Google/Niantic Labs augmented reality pseudo-MMO that ensured my husband's old commute home took twice as long every day because he really had to swing over to the park to take it from the smurfs? OK, maybe that's just my house. Google has put Ingress in headlines again this week with a brand-new tutorial video meant to introduce newcomers to the strangely addicting game. "Ingress is a giant game of capture the flag where you play a video game but in real life," declares a montage of whom we are left to assume are players. "Ingress is like FourSquare meets Geocaching meets giant game of Risk, where the board is like the surface of the earth." We've included the intro video below; the game is as always available for free on both the Apple and Android mobile stores. Go green team.
