Seismic Acquisition
Pokemon Go dev Niantic acquires Marvel Strike Force developer Seismic Games
Studio to craft new augmented reality experiences
Augmented Advertising
How advertising will work in the world of augmented reality
Adverty gives the lowdown on a new age of in-game ads
Augmented Vision
Machine learning-driven AR outfit Octi raises $7.5 million
Eyes up clients in gaming, fitness and fashion industries
Dead Ringer
AR tie-in The Walking Dead: Our World launches worldwide today
But will the adaptation be enough to mend Next Games’ revenue woes?
Secret World
Netflix to air Niantic’s Ingress in October 2018
Ingress: The Animation set to release alongside a sequel to Niantic’s debut title
Sneak Peek
Niantic opens up preview of its AR Real World Platform
Pokemon Go developer looks to collaborate with third parties to advance augmented reality
Job News
Resolution Games brings Mogi creator Mathieu Castelli aboard as chief creative officer
Stockholm studio also expands with Mojang and Paradox alumni
Acquisition
Pokemon Go developer Niantic acquires London-based machine learning outfit Matrix Mill
AI research outfit join the augmented reality giant
Watch Out
Yo-Kai Watch World hopes to capture Pokemon Go-like success with Japan launch
GungHo works with Level-5 to location-based AR title
Mr Design Tips
4 mixed reality design considerations from Magic Leap
Aleissia Laidacker and Brian Schwab discuss creating MR experiences
Realer Than Real
Unity drives deeper into augmented reality with Project MARS
“Reality is our build target”
Augmented
Report: Microsoft plans to unveil Hololens 2 in late 2018
“Sydney” set to launch next year with a significantly lower price tag
Smashing
How ARKit is powering indie creativity in augmented reality
"It created the largest AR platform overnight and gave developers a powerful toolkit to play with"
Development
Unity ARKit update includes persistent mapping and improved tracking
Apple and Unity worked closely in the latest update for the ARKit 2 plugin
Galactic
CCP Games teams up with NetEase for new Eve Online mobile game
Project Galaxy will drop in 2019 for iOS with Android to come thereafter
Pog Champ
90s fad POGs set for comeback with new AR Mobile game in the works
POGs AR pencilled in for a September launch for both iOS and Android
Augmented Reality
Apple unveils ARKit 2 with shared experiences and persistent AR
Persistent AR lets users continue where they left off with a virtual world
Augmented Reality
Google’s ARCore heads to China
Partners up with Xiaomi
Go Go Go
Pokemon Sun and Moon content coming to Pokemon Go
Content update to include Alolan versions of Kanto Pokemon
Going Global
Pokemon Go developer Niantic to call upon players to help build AR maps
Efforts would involve supplementing Pokemon Go data with new information gathered through smartphones cameras
Augmented Reality
Google’s ARCore 1.2 gets social
User can collaborate in the virtual space
Pokemon Goes On Tour
Pokemon Go Summer Tour heads to the US, Germany and Japan
Events will feature a host of interactive adventures and special challenges
Come Together
Unity aims to double down on mobile at Unite Berlin
A look ahead at what to expect from the conference in June
Not Bad
Osmo surpasses one million educational AR game sales on iPad
Developer wants to scale up its operations
Innovation
Ubisoft start-up programme backs blockchain and augmented reality devs
Initiative aims to support entrepreneurs working on exciting games-related technology
Kitted Out
Tools firm The Game Creators launches AppGameKit AR
The updated AR tools come with additional features and bug fixes
Unchained
Augmented reality game Reality Clash opens blockchain-based Armoury Store
Players can now buy limited-edition in-game weapons
Pg Connects
Niantic Superstar Session at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco
Ross Finman will reveal the company’s plans for AR and how it will build on breakout hit Pokemon GO
Settlement Reality
Niantic settles Pokemon Go Fest class action lawsuit for $1.6 million
Attendees can claim for airfares, hotel expenses, parking fees and more
Kitted Out
ARKit-powered apps break 13 million downloads in six months
Games count for almost half of AR apps
Trail Of Destruction
Warner Bros taps mixed reality developer Trigger for Rampage mobile game
Movie tie-in launches ahead of film release
Fusion
Crytek teams up with PlayFusion to bring enhanced reality features into Cryengine
The addition will allow Cryengine licenses to tap into a new set of virtual reality development tools and features
Augmented Reel-ality
Resolution Games set to give Bait! The AR treatment with Bait! Under the Surface on Android and iOS
The latest instalment of the franchise is expected to launch later this year
Job News
AR company appoints mobile and blockchain entrepreneur to advisory board
Richard Skaife joins Krytonite1 CEO George McDonaugh and Snatch CEO Jamal Hirani at Reality Clash
Zombieland
Google Maps to power upcoming location-based augmented reality game The Walking Dead: Our World
Partnership will bring famous landmarks such the Statue of Liberty and the London Eye to the game
Reality Check
Reality Clash pulls PlayStation veteran Anthony Bray to head up its operations
The hire comes as the company are heading into the launch of a new augmented reality game
Magic Money Tree
Mixed reality start-up Magic Leap scores another $461 million investment
Total investment to date reaches $2.3 billion
Jurassic Lark
Ludia gives new location-based AR game Jurassic World Alive the Pokemon Go treatment
New AR title expected to release ahead of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Augmented Spooks
Ghostbusters World gives iconic films the Pokemon Go treatment
South Korean publisher Four Thirty Three and partner studio NextAge on board to develop and publish
Mapping Reality
Softbank-backed Mapbox launches location-based augmented reality platform
Toolset designed to enable developers to create Pokemon-Go like experiences
Arcore In The Wild
Google launches its augmented reality SDK ARCore on Android
Available now on 13 different devices
Bafta Fusion
Lightseekers developer PlayFusion partners with BAFTA to accelerate awareness of new technologies
PlayFusion CEO Mark Gerhard joins BAFTA VR Advisory Group too
Gree Gfr Fund
Gree rebrands its VR fund to include augmented reality and mixed reality projects
The GFR Fund is looking to start a new round of funding later in 2018
Snatch And Clash
Reality Gaming Group adds Snatch creator Jamal Hirani to Reality Clash advisory board
Opening up cross-promotional opportunities between Reality Clash and Snatch
To Where The Puck’s Going
New games, new tech and more M&A: Frank Gibeau on making the right bets for Zynga’s future
Building on success
Investment News
Tech start-up 8th Wall raises $8 million to make augmented reality dev tools
Brings total investment in company to date to $10.4 million
Walking Dead Our World
Next Games soft-launches location-based AR game The Walking Dead: Our World
Now available on Android in the Philippines
Crystal Ball
What’s next for mobile games? Challenges and opportunities
Hot from PGC London 2018
Technology Unite
Pokemon Go studio Niantic set to become more than just a games developer with Escher Reality acquisition
Plans to make AR technology more widely available later this year
Time To Reflect
6 things we learned at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2018
What the show tells us about the big upcoming mobile games industry trends