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The parent company to Pokémon Go, Niantic has been very clear over the years that it wants us to take a “stupid walk for our stupid mental health,” as the meme goes. This week, Pokémon Go is rolling out a “daily adventure incense,” which brings “rare” Pokémon to you, so long as you’re in motion. This […]
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Pokémon GO developer Niantic is running into trouble as it builds “the real-world metaverse.” Like so many other tech companies facing turbulent economic times, the company decided to let go of 8% of its staff, affecting about 85 to 90 people. Just seven months ago, the company raised $300 million at a $9 billion valuation, […]
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As more tech companies develop virtual and augmented reality products, some oversight groups are trying to keep the industry on the same page. The newest of these is the Metaverse Standards Forum, which aims to drive open interoperability, which could make it easier for developers to build across platforms. As announced today, the forum already […]
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LA-born startup TRIPP doesn’t want the metaverse to be a mere “shopping mall for virtual consumers,” its founder Nanea Reeves told TechCrunch. Instead, Reeves’ company is envisioning a metaverse experience that can “deepen connection to self, facilitate mental well-being and enable personal and collective transformation.” TRIPP’s vision for a mindful metaverse is already a (virtual) […]
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Since the launch of Pokémon Go in 2016, players have been coordinating meetups, in-game raids and battles on platforms like Reddit and Discord. This summer, parent company Niantic is unveiling Campfire, a social networking service designed to help mobile augmented reality (AR) gamers connect. Niantic’s games incentivize people to use their technology to go outside […]
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Let’s say we have a Venn diagram with two circles: Pokémon GO players and Amazon Prime members. If you fall in the middle, congrats! Here’s 30 pokéballs. Niantic’s flagship Pokémon GO app has partnered with Prime Gaming and Prime Student to release bonus item bundles every two weeks. Starting today, Amazon Prime subscribers can visit […]
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Remember caring for your “Nintendogs” on your Nintendo DS? Or maybe you used to bring your Tamogatchi to third grade to make sure you could flush its pixelated poop? Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing that same energy to its upcoming augmented reality mobile game Peridot. Peridots (or Dots for short) are virtual, magical animals […]
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Just a month after its last acquisition of the WebAR development platform 8th Wall, Niantic announced its purchase of New Zealand-based augmented reality studio NZXR today. These strategic acquisitions are part of Niantic’s overarching plan to build what it calls a “real-world metaverse,” which is dependent on AR rather than VR. NZXR formed during the […]
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Niantic, the augmented reality platform behind Pokémon GO, is acquiring WebAR development platform 8th Wall, the company announced on Thursday. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Niantic says the deal marks its largest acquisition to date. The company says the acquisition will help enhance its developer platform while also helping developers create […]
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Niantic announced a Pokémon GO feature today that will incentivize users to conduct more AR scans of landmarks in their neighborhood. This user-generated data will help Niantic build its “real-world metaverse,” which will be powered largely by Lightship, its free AR Development Kit (ARDK). In Pokémon GO, users visit PokéStops, which represent real-world places — […]
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