Pokemon Go developer Niantic to call upon players to help build AR maps

Pokemon Go developer Niantic has plans to map the world in 3D with the help of its players.

In an interview with Reuters, studio CEO John Hanke spoke about establishing the company as a leader in digital mapping by using data collected from Pokemon GO.

Niantic will use additional data captured from players’ phone cameras to create an AR map. According to Hanke, this will serve as a bedrock to allow developers to anchor new virtual textures over real-world objects.

“We want players to build out the game board they want to play on,” he said.

Augmented reality

Hanke did not reveal when mapping would begin and didn’t elaborate on how the tech would be implemented into Niantic's games.

However, he did confirm that the company would allow third-party developers to use its AR map.

Niantic recently acquired augmented reality firm Escher Reality for an undisclosed fee to aid the effort.

Escher has been working on tools designed to help developers build persistent, multi-user, cross-platform experiences.

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