Interview
Resolution Games on the fresh momentum in VR and AR in 2019
There's a bright future ahead for VR and AR, claims the Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs developer
Magic
Magic Leap snaps up holographic teleconferencing start-up Mimesys
Belgian spatial-presence startup teams up with AR giant Magic Leap
Steve Go
AR game Minecraft Earth arrives on mobile this summer
Players can sign up to a closed beta now
Job News
EA, Zynga and Kabam vet Verdu heading up Facebook AR and VR efforts as Barra steps aside
Former AR and VR content boss Rubin moves to new role
Pokemon Go Competitor?
Microsoft digs up Minecraft AR teaser for mobile
More information will be revealed on May 17th
Magic Funds
Japanese mobile operator DOCOMO invests $280 million in Magic Leap
Yet another investor brings total funding to date to around $2.6 billion
Uk Funding
UK government puts together $5.2 million funding for mixed reality games based on iconic British IP
British authorities are looking to push new VR and AR experiences for established properties like Wallace and Gromit
Augmented Oculus
Oculus staffing up for new augmented reality glasses
"In the future, our AR glasses will merge the physical and digital worlds"
3g 4g 5g More
SK Telecom introduces new 5G data plan that includes exclusive games and promotions
Firm states that new 5G network will utilise its 34,000 5G base stations across the country
$4 Million A Day
Pokemon Go surpasses $2.5 billion in worldwide player spending
Augmented reality title yet to reach third anniversary
Virtual Apple
Apple patent filing suggests work on VR/MR headset
The document focuses on range finding and accessory tracking for VR/MR head-mounted display system
Reality
Newzoo: Games are leading the augmented reality charge
But support for AR is still restricted to a handful of handsets
Location
Irish AR developer WarDucks raises $3.75 million
Veteran-backed studio raises funds to expand and increase development efforts
Flap
GDC 2019: Angry Birds’ first AR outing is hitting Apple devices later this Spring
Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs will also hit two more VR platforms in the immediate future
Grab Your Ray Gun
GDC 2019: Magic Leap teams with Weta on new AR multiplayer experience
Grordbattle was revealed during Unity’s keynote
Unity Foundation
GDC 2019: Unity AR Foundation ties together ARKit and ARCore development
Creators can target both SDKs through one framework
New Realities
GDC 2019: Unity "investing heavily" in augmented reality tech
"We’re really keen on AR and we’re seeing a lot of the big partners release a lot of products in this space, and we’re excited to see where it’s going"
Real World Gaming
Lessons from a year of location-based games with Google Maps
Real world gaming said to drive engagement; most successful when integrated with AR and social elements
Accio Phone
Niantic magic’s up first look at Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Could it be as big as Pokemon Go?
Patent Reality
Apple might be developing an AR headset for iPhones
A patent filed near the end of last year hints at a further push into AR tech
Warfare
Microsoft workers demand stricter ethics as HoloLens prepares to kill
Open letter calls for the cancellation of a recently-signed army IVAS contract
Enterprise Ar
Microsoft unveils $3,500 HoloLens 2 headset
Epic's Tim Sweeney praises tech giant's open approach to development
Life Finds A Way
Jurassic World Alive grosses $40 million in nine months
These scientists have not been preoccupied
Who Ya Gonna Call
LEGO unveils new ghost-themed AR experience Hidden Side
Can we build it
Big Deal
Report: Facebook wanted to buy Unity game engine to drive VR and AR business
Wants to be a key player in the next major computing platform after mobile
No Filter
Pokemon Go update will add new AR camera functionality
Coming very soon
Big Deal
Pokemon Go dev Niantic raises $245 million at $4 billion valuation
Further M&A activity a possibility says Niantic spokesperson
Funding Go
Pokemon Go dev Niantic pulls in $190 million investment
Studio has raised around $420m so far at an estimated $3.9 billion valuation
Critical Hit
Pokemon Go bagged nearly $800 million from in-app purchases in 2018
Sales up 35 per cent on 2017
Prime Competition
Pokemon Go dev Niantic opens $1m Beyond Reality Developer Contest for AR games
10 teams will get the chance to bring their projects to life using the Real World Platform
Fund 'em All
Report: Pokemon Go developer Niantic eyes new $200m funding round
Would raise company valuation to $3.9 billion
Video
Shipyard Games’ Teemu Harju provides pointers on making location-based mobile games
“We really believe in location-based games, and we truly believe there’s an opportunity for way more cooler gaming.”
All Go
Blizzard reportedly working on a Pokemon Go-styled World of Warcraft spin-off for mobile
The game reportedly has single-player mechanics
Acquisition Reality
Admix buys media site VRFocus and aims to rehire staff
Publication looked set to close earlier this month when all employees were laid off
Leap
Magic Leap offering indie AR developers up to $500,000 through new Independent Creator Program
Augmented reality firm hopes to kickstart its marketplace offerings by supporting independent creators
Real
Mixed reality monetisation startup Admix raises $2.1 million
SpeedInvest leads funding round for the AR and VR advertising platform
Excite
Pokemon Go developer Niantic teases new mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite for 2019 release
Had been slated for 2018 launch
Snap
Pokemon Go revenue in October is up 67 per cent year-over-year to $73 million
AR hit has slipped since September but is still performing well over the same period last year
Prime For Release
Pokemon Go dev Niantic goes back to its roots with Ingress Prime launch
"The beauty of having your own IP is it allows you to test the way you want, challenge gameplay and create experiences maybe we couldn't get away with stakeholders"
Tech
Swedish games studio Bublar Group acquires VR/AR outfit Vobling for $5.5 million
Stockholm-based mixed reality developer will use the increased size to push production on next year's Hello Kitty AR project
Hired
Hasbro and Angry Birds veterans join AR toy developer Draw & Code
Brett Page and Becky Jones take on new leadership roles at the SwapBots studio
Funding Reality
Ex-King games guru Tommy Palm's VR studio Resolution Games raises $7.5m
Valued at $87.5 million
Catching Season
Niantic’s Pokemon Go catches $84.8m in revenue for September
The location-based AR game also added 8.86m new trainers to its ranks
Ar
Truly Social Games acquires Vancouver AR studio Cooper’s New Reality Garage
Augmented reality specialist will rebrand as Truly Social Games Vancouver
Dirt
Pokemon Go celebrates the 50th anniversary of the US’s National Rivers & Trails systems
Pokemon Go studio wants to get players out and about across America’s National Parks
Infectious
The Walking Dead: Our World consumes $8 million in revenue over 55 days
Augmented reality survival shooter has been installed almost 1.7 million times
Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go saw a 35 per cent increase in activity over the last 4 months
Niantic also announced a scheme to tie Pokemon Go to civic engagement events
Billion Dollar Baby
Magic Leap One Creator Edition launches with $2,295 price tag
Only available in select US cities however
Ar Games
Facebook Messenger gets augmented reality games
Extends possibilities as a games platform
Not Bad
The Walking Dead: Our World hits top 10 download charts in 40 countries
The location-based augmented reality game launched July 12th