Gotta Dunk 'em All
Is basketball bigger than Pokemon? Niantic has to hope so
The augmented reality pioneer brings the world's biggest NBA stars to your neighbourhood
Company Profile
Niantic
Website
www.nianticlabs.com/
About
We are a geo-focused developer and the creator of Pokemon GO, helmed by John Hanke.
We believe we can use technology to lean into the ‘reality’ of augmented reality — encouraging everyone to get outside and connect with the world around us. It’s our responsibility to consider user privacy, responsible use, inclusive development processes, and AR’s potential impact on the world now, not after the fact.
Related People
Laura Warner
Senior Game Designer
Ziah Fogel
Senior Producer
Anne Beuttenmüller
Product Marketing Manager
Karla Reyes
Growth Product Manager
Karen Tong
Senior Director of Product Marketing
Kirsten Koa
Senior Software Engineer
John Hanke
CEO
Kellee Santiago
Head of Developer Relations
Matt Ein
Senior Game Designer
+6 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Niantic
Fairy Tales
Pokémon Go announces Twinkling Fantasy Event
The event will highlight the game’s roster of fairy and dragon types
2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – July's Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. It's time for July
Green Gaming
Niantic planted 301 thousand trees throughout 2022
The company has released a new post showcasing its social impact throughout the year
Release Dates
Niantic's NBA All-World to launch in 2023 with more glimpses of gameplay given
Niantic’s new collaborative game produced with the NBA is set to go live in January of next year
Making It In Ar Mobile
Pokémon Go to Minecraft Earth: the successes and failures of AR mobile games
Can anyone compete with Pokémon Go’s success in the AR genre?
Sprouting Seedlings
Can a push from Nintendo help Pikmin Bloom recapture the magic of Pokémon Go?
Pikmin Bloom’s first anniversary features a Nintendo Switch crossover event
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team reflect on a week of staggering statistics and feisty financials
PokÉmon Go Fest Live
Pokémon Go Live Events contributed $300 million to local cities in 2022
Players spent an average of $650 during the events, with many expressing a desire to return to the host cities
Interview
Niantic’s director of production on the AR leader’s history and development
Kellee Santiago discusses the company’s mission to help players explore the world together
New Studio
Ex Niantic staff Alexia Mandeville and Bo Boghosian form new indie studio Bodeville Games
Bodeville is fully self-funded and currently working on multiple narrative-driven games.
News
Niantic talk up walking for World Mental Health Day 2022
The company touted the reported benefits of location-based games like their key title ‘Pokemon Go’.
Mischief Managed
Harry Potter mobile titles hit the magic $1 billion milestone
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the IP’s top-grossing title
Milestone
Pokémon Go reaches $4.5 billion in lifetime revenue
The popular Pokémon Go title reaches milestones in revenue and downloads
Augmented Reality
Niantic brings Lightship to browser
Lightship VPS aims to make AR more accessible than ever before
Best Of 2022
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2022
The movers and the shakers of the last 12 months
Augmented Reality
Eight UK Studios selected for possible Niantic Lightship partnerships
The studios will pitch their AR experiences later this summer
Power To The People
Niantic launches New Voyager apprenticeship program in partnership with Tech Elevator
Successful applicants will be given tuition-free training and the opportunity to begin their careers in tech
Niantic Wants You To Play Together
Niantic introduces social app Campfire
After the beta period, the app’s rollout begins in the coming days
Between 85-90 To Lose Jobs
Niantic lays off 8% of its workforce, as it cancels four projects
Between 85-90 staff members affected by layoffs as numerous projects, including a Transformers title already in beta, are shuttered
Bouncing Into Basketball
Niantic partners with the NBA to create an AR basketball game
Basketball in the "real-world metaverse"
Roe Vs. Wade
Mobile games developers come out in support of abortion rights
Niantic, Innersloth, Ubisoft and more speak out, while Activision Blizzard, Apple, Netflix, and others add financial support for affected employees
Prospering Pikachu
Pokémon GO celebrates lifetime player spending of $6 billion
Sensor Tower data reveals the game has averaged $1 billion per year since launch
Gaming And Golfing
New PGA golf game utilises Niantic Lightship AR tech
Developer by Trigger as an educational, utility game
Join Us
Niantic wants you in its social AR network
The Campfire social app, currently live in Ingress, and Lightship VPS was revealed at Niantic Lightship Summit
Join The Coven
Can we create a more equitable mobile games industry? Niantic’s Karla Reyes may have the answer
Code Coven and Niantic’s Karla Reyes details how she found her place in the games industry, and her extensive efforts to make sure the door didn’t shut behind her
Pokemon To Peridot
Niantic unveils latest AR game Peridot
Pokémon Go creator's latest AR title harness original IP
Niantic Adds Nzxr
Niantic acquires New Zealand-based AR studio NZXR
Will become "integral part" of design and development teams for location-based AR titles
Mobile Games Awards 2022
Space Ape Games, inkle, Genshin Impact, Kwalee, and more celebrated at the Mobile Games Awards 2022
Space Ape’s Beatstar – Touch Your Music wins coveted Game of the Year, as we celebrate the mobile games industry with 23 categories
Gdc
GDC snapshot: keeping Pokémon GO alive during the COVID pandemic
Light bites from Niantic’s panel detail managing the world’s largest AR game during a global lockdown
Gdc
GDC: Niantic, ustwo games, Junub Games, and more on the responsibilities of the games industry
Reyes, Mensah-Bonsu, Estaris, Mayen, and Pollack discuss creating mission-driven games
Gdc
GDC: Niantic talks keeping redlining out of the metaverse
The metaverse cannot recreate the prejudicial problems of the games industry, says Niantic’s John King and Kellee Santiago
Ar Acquisition
Niantic acquires 8th Wall to empower AR metaverse
Expanding the reach of Niantic Lightship tools
Ar Audio
Niantic and Sony partner for bring hi-fidelity audio AR
Starting with AR mobile game Ingress
Meet The Experts
Speaker Spotlight: Niantic’s Karla Reyes on sustainable approaches to blockchain gaming at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Learn about creating and cultivating blockchain-based game ecosystems with sustainable approaches of environmental, economic, social, and governance perspectives
Building On Blockchain
Learn the best practices of blockchain gaming at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Get insights into how crypto works with games at next month’s conference
Tencent On Top
More than $1 billion generated by eight mobile games each in 2021
PUBG Mobile is the highest-grossing for a second year
Lowkey Hires
Niantic hires the majority of social platform Lowkey's staff
Hired the majority of the team
Bitcoin Battling
Niantic partners with Fold to create AR Bitcoin metaverse experience
Gameplay involves finding and protecting your Bitcoin from other players
Big World
Niantic raises $300 million to build out a real-world metaverse
Pokemon Go developer now valued at $9 billion
A Slow Bloom
Pikmin Bloom generated $473,000 from two million downloads
The seedling is growing
Merging The Worlds
Niantic to license its Lightship ARDK dev kit to developers
Also establishes $20 million fund to invest in devs
Id Now
Niantic introduces Niantic ID allowing players to link accounts across titles
In-game usernames will not change
Obliviate
Why Harry Potter: Wizards Unite failed to find the magic
Nearly two years on, Niantic's game is moribund
The End Game
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite shutting down on 31 January 2022
Location-based wizarding game fails
Bloomin' Lovely
Niantic and Nintendo launch Pikmin Bloom
Will roll out globally, starting with Australia and Singapore
Accelerate Development
Niantic acquires developer experience firm Hoss
Will assist in accelerating development of Lightship ARDK
Catan Down
Niantic is shutting down Catan World Explorers
Has been in soft launch for over a year
Best Of 2021
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2021
The movers, the shakers, and all those funky moneymakers
Safari Zone
Postponed Pokémon GO Safari Zone events set to return from October
Events will be held in person across three locations