Listen Good
Niantic teases image of gaming headset
Hardware features speakers
Reality Check
AR outfit Blippar secures $5 million in pre-Series A funding
To grow across Asia, Europe and the US
Ninten-yay
A Pikmin AR title is in the works
As part of an agreement between Niantic and Nintendo
Cracking Ar, Gromit
From Bioshock and GTA to Wallace and Gromit; Susan Cummings' journey into AR
"We're essentially bringing Bristol to you"
Pgc Digital
PGC Digital: "It will be the content that drives future devices forward," says Niantic AR strategy lead Ross Finman
"True digital experiences"
Going Virtual
SuperData: Oculus quest was the best-selling VR headset last quarter
Investment in VR and AR firms will hit $915 million this year
Another Reality
Niantic partners with 5G telecoms to advance AR
"5G will completely change the gaming industry and bring never before seen capabilities to AR gaming"
Staying Put
Facebook claims Oculus brand isn't going anywhere
Follows confusing announcement from the social media giant
New Identity
Oculus rebrands as Facebook Reality Labs
"Together, AR and VR will change how we work, interact, and play, with novel use cases we haven’t even begun to imagine"
Time To Hunt
New AR title The Witcher: Monster Slayer hunting its way onto mobile devices
Being developed by Spokko Games
Money Money Money
SuperData: XR will generate $6.9bn in 2020
That's $600m more than previously predicted, but well below the $7.7bn it had originally forecast
A Different Reality
Polyarc raises $9 million for AR development
"This round of funding was essential for us to expand our development focus to further embrace VR and AR games"
Catan Go
Niantic soft launches next AR title Catan: World Explorers
Available to download in New Zealand on Android
Drunk On Games
Niantic teams up with theatre company Punchdrunk for games that will "reinvent storytelling"
It has 10 games in development
What Is Reality?
Pokemon GO rolls out "Reality Blending" AR functionality to limited devices
PokeStop scanning also made available to help map the in-game world
Lay Offs
AR firm Magic Leap lays off staff at "every level"
"I have determined this is ultimately necessary to give us the best chance for future success"
Welcome Aboard
Niantic hires Megan Quinn as its new COO
She has a background in leadership and investment
Stay Indoors
Niantic makes its games easier to play indoors
In-game changes made to its AR titles
Ar Acquisition
Niantic acquires 6D.ai to further its AR goals
No sum was disclosed
$10 Billion Valuation
Report: Magic Leap looking to sell off its business
Medical firm Johnson & Johnson reportedly interest
Limited Promotion
Starbucks' new AR game Starlands will give away 2.5 million real-world different prizes
Promotion only available in the US and Canada
Jobs In Games
Jobs in Games: Niantic head of developer relations Kellee Santiago on empowering others to make unique games
"I know how to empower developers to make games no one has seen before"
Scan It
Mojang partners with Mattel on NFC-enabled Minecraft Earth toys
Releasing in Spring 2020
Technology Of The Future
NDreams' Patrick O'Luanaigh on the future of VR, AR and streaming
Expect more sunglasses and less bulky headsets
Making Of
Developing an AR game after the success of Pokémon GO: The making of Bird BnB
"The core gameplay is rooted in strong appointment and collection mechanics"
Job News
AR studio Draw & Code names Spencer Crossley as new CEO
Brings experience from Sony, Hasbro, Warner Bros. and more
Friends With Benefits
Niantic unveils major Pokemon GO update with new Buddy Adventure mode
Battle, feed, and play to level up friendship and unlock bonus perks
Eye To Eye
Niantic and Qualcomm sign multi-year deal for AR gaming tech
Qualcomm’s XR2 tech meets Niantic Real World Platform
Going Global
Following US early access, Minecraft Earth hits 2.5 million downloads
1.4 million installs since arrival in the US on November 12th
Hex-o World
Location-based Catan: World Explorers mobile game using Niantic's Real World Platform
Pre-registration now live
Tech Tock
Apple's gaming-focused AV/VR headset expected by 2022
AR glasses in 2023
Mapping
One million locations nominated weekly for Niantic's Real World Platform
Nine million locations have been adde to-date
Investment
Niantic launches $10 million Creator Program for new location-based AR games
Also opens Pokemon Go sponsored location program for small businesses
Block By Block
Mobile AR game Minecraft Earth enters early access in the UK
Phased rollout
Ar Is The Future
Google pulls the plug on Daydream, its mobile VR platform
The Pixel 4 was created with AR in mind instead
Finding Funding
Cerberus Interactive secures $1.75m for location-based augmented reality games
Debut title Atlas Empires due for a Q1 2020 global release
Closed Beta
Minecraft Earth beta is coming to Android devices next week
Players must be 18 years old with a device running Android 7 or above
Gotta Catch 'em All
Pokemon Go catches one billion downloads
Half of those were picked up in the game's first two months back in September 2016
Augmented Reality
PuzzlAR: World Tour is the first game released from Magic Leap’s independent creator programme
More apps and games are set for release in the coming weeks
Magic Number
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite generates $12 million in revenue in its first month
Pokemon Go was downloaded 182m times in its launch month
Live And Kicking
One year on: Next Games on the evolution of location-based title The Walking Dead: Our World
We catch up with executive producer Joonas Viitala to discuss the game's performance to date
Just Like Magic
Niantic and EE partner to bring Wizards Unite bonuses to the UK
Inclusive data, sponsored Inns and licensed merchandise
Reality And Streaming
Finnish start-up Surrogate.tv raises $2 million
“We want to rethink this process by bringing in unique benefits that the real world has to offer”
Accio Wallet
Niantic’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite out now in the UK
Co-developed and co-published with WB Games San Francisco
Wands At The Ready
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launches in the UK and US this week
Niantic CEO John Hanke confirmed at a press event in Los Angeles
“long-term Partner”
Rovio partners with AR firm Zappar for Angry Birds Explore
Soft-launched in Finland, Spain, Portugal and Russia
Augmented Apple
ARKit 3 gets motion capture and occlusion enhancements
RealityKit and Reality Composer also unveiled offering a raft of new features and easier ways to build apps
Minecraft Ar
Minecraft Earth takes centre stage at Apple’s WWDC
Upcoming augmented reality game used to show off ARKit 3 capabilities
Vr Shocked
Report: VR and AR developer Leap Motion acquired by Ultrahaptics for $30 million
Leap Motion co-founder David Holz and engineering staff will join Ultrahaptics as part of the sale
Not Quite Iron Man
Google updates its Glass hardware with new Enterprise Edition 2
Priced at $999 per set