Tag: Niantic
News Pokémon GO Promises It Won't Introduce "Intrusive Ads" Or Playtime Restrictions
"No, that is not happening"
It's a new era for Niantic's mobile hit Pokémon GO now that the games division has been sold to Monopoly Go! maker Scopely for $3.5 billion. This has naturally raised some concerns about the title's future - with some players reportedly worried about "intrusive ads" and possible restrictions on playtime being introduced...
News Pokémon GO Developer Niantic Reportedly In Talks To "Sell Games Unit"
Including the sale of Pokémon GO
A new report from Bloomberg claims Pokémon GO developer Niantic is apparently in talks to sell its video game business to the Saudi Arabia-owned company Scopely. This deal would supposedly be announced in the "coming weeks" and the sale price is expected to be around $3.5 billion. The sale would reportedly...
News It Turns Out Pokémon GO Players Have Been Training An AI This Whole Time
"It can't be bargained with... it can't be reasoned with..."
In a recent blog post from Pokémon GO developer Niantic, the company has laid out its plans for what it calls a 'Large Geospatial Model', an AI that fills in the blanks for geographical locations that haven't been physically captured in person. So for example, as Niantic highlights...
Feature Pikmin Bloom Devs On The Joy Of "Human Connection" And The Absence Of Bulborbs
"Our Pikmin aren’t going to die"
While having a strong and deservingly passionate fanbase, it's fair to wonder if the Pikmin series has ever received the commercial success it deserves. Yet, Shigeru Miyamoto-san and Nintendo continue to nurture these little fellas and let them bloom however they like. The Nintendo Switch has just given us the...
News Pokémon GO Introduces Brand New Multiplayer Feature 'Party Play'
But you need to be "close-by" others to use it
Pokémon GO developer Niantic has announced and released Party Play, a brand new multiplayer feature that allows you to team up with your friends — as long as they're close by. The feature is live now in Pokémon GO and enables you and up to three friends to party up and play together. Teaming up...
News Pokémon GO Developer Niantic Axes Two AR Games And Lays Off 230 Employees
Pokémon GO is still the "top priority"
Niantic hit the big time with Pokémon GO and rapidly expanded into multiple other augmented reality-driven mobile experiences. Unfortunately, post-pandemic it's now experiencing a rough patch - with an update on the company website and email to employees revealing Niantic is axing two games and letting go of...
News Pokémon GO Game Director Responds To 'Hear Us Niantic' Social Media Backlash
"It's hard to ignore, right?"
Remember the Pokémon GO update last month that increased Remote Raid Pass prices and limited daily participation? It didn't go down well with the community, resulting in the hashtag 'HearUsNiantic' treading online. Now, well over a month later, the
News Pokémon GO Developer Says Reports Of Monthly Earnings At Five-Year Low Are "Incorrect"
"Our revenue so far in 2023 is up on last year"
Update [Thu 4th May, 2023 15:45 BST]: After yesterday's report that Niantic's Pokémon GO monthly revenue was the lowest that the game has seen since 2018, the developer has today responded, dismissing the claims as "incorrect". In a comment given to Eurogamer, Niantic stated that its revenue was in...
News 'Hear Us Niantic' Trends On Social Media In Response To Pokémon GO Remote Raids Update
"We do not agree with your decision"
Last week, Niantic announced it would be increasing Pokémon GO Remote Raid Pass prices and limiting daily participation. It's not gone down well with the community, and although Niantic has already mentioned how this update will definitely be going ahead on 6th April, the community has now responded on social...
News Pikmin Bloom Celebrates Valentine's Day With 'Present Sticker' Gold Seedlings
Love is in the air... and the ground
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and Pikmin Bloom is about ready to celebrate in style. Starting tomorrow (February 6th) until February 26th, you'll be able to try out special Valentine's Day missions and bag yourselves some 'Present Sticker' gold seedlings. Here's some more information from Niantic:...
News Pokémon GO Fans Are Not Happy With Niantic's Apology For Bungled Zorua Event
"A piece of tree bark, a salt packet from McDonalds, and a bottle cap"
Back in October 2022, a Pokémon GO event called the Shuppet Spotlight Hour took place, with a "special" surprise for people who participated. Niantic ended up cancelling this special surprise at the last minute, but not before those in the GMT +13 time zone in Australia and...
News Nintendo's Pikmin Mobile Game Gets A Limited-Time Pikmin 3 Deluxe Event
Reunite with Alph, Brittany and Charlie
As you might recall, Nintendo and Niantic are currently celebrating the first-year anniversary of Pikmin Bloom on mobile. The game's been hosting a series of exciting "first anniversary events" and the latest one happens to be a crossover with Pikmin 3 Deluxe, which got a release on the Nintendo Switch in...
News Nintendo's Pikmin Mobile Game Celebrates 1st Anniversary
Now bring on Pikmin 4
It's now been a year since Niantic's Pikmin Bloom game for mobile devices was made available in certain parts of the world. In an official blog on the game website, the creators thanked the community for their support over the past year with a short message and told fans to stay tuned for more "exciting" things: "We hope...
News Pokémon GO In-Game Prices Increasing In Select Regions This Month
Pikmin Bloom will also be impacted
Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom developer Niantic has issued a notice about "in-game currency prices" increasing in select regions around the globe, starting on October 5th. In a post on its official website, Niantic mentioned how it wanted to be "proactive" with the pricing notice and explained how it was "due to...
News New Pikmin Bloom Update Really Wants You To Go Outside
"Pikmin Bloom is evolving"
Despite Niantic's recent wave of layoffs, which saw the company cutting 8% of their workforce, it appears that things are on the move at the studio which made Pokémon GO. Their latest Nintendo mobile game, Pikmin Bloom, came out in late 2021, and invited players to catch, raise, and manage a horde of Pikmin in an AR...
News Pokémon GO Dev Niantic Axes Four Projects, Cuts 8% Of Workforce
Company is facing "a time of economic turmoil"
Pokémon GO has been an incredible success for developer Niantic, but the American company appears to be facing some struggles - with the cancellation of four projects and staff cuts of 85 to 90 people. In an email to employees (reviewed by Bloomberg), the company's CEO John Hanke revealed Niantic was...
News Pokémon GO Fest 2022 Kicks Off In June
With Shaymin as the star attraction
Niantic has revealed details on this year's Pokémon GO Fest, with 2022's event taking place on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. As the company states that the Pokémon Fest is all about friendship and community, it has announced that Shaymin - the gratitude Pokémon - will be the star of the show. Tickets...
News Pokémon GO Devs Team Up With Ecosia For Environmental Incentive
"Catch a Mew, plant a tree"
When Pokémon GO was at its peak, it encouraged millions across the world to get outside and go for a walk. While it made a few headlines for the wrong reasons, it actually got people exploring the places that they live, and even places they've never been to before, all in the pursuit of finding a gym or catching a brand...
News Niantic Shares Staggering Stats For A Year In Pokémon GO And Pikmin Bloom
Over 12 billion gifts given in Pokémon GO
While Pokémon GO may not be all over the news as it was in the distant past (well, it feels distant), it's continued to evolve and keep a sizeable audience engaged. Its developer Niantic then released its second tie-in with Nintendo this year with Pikmin Bloom, which is a rather charming and low-pressure...
News Niantic's New Pikmin Game Has Been Downloaded 2 Million Times In Two Weeks
Growing the garden
Pokémon GO developer Niantic recently launched its new mobile AR walking game, Pikmin Bloom - so how's it doing? According to Sensor Tower (via our friends at Eurogamer), the title has been downloaded 2 million times in two weeks. 864k of those downloads were from players in Japan, US had the second-largest player base and the...
News Pokémon GO And Pikmin Bloom Dev Niantic Is Offering Up Its AR Tech For Free
Want to create your own "real-world metaverse"? You're in luck
Niantic, the company which worked with Nintendo on apps such as Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom, has announced that it is offering up access to its 'Lightship' Augmented Reality technology to anyone who wishes to make use of it. This tool will allow developers to create their own...
News Niantic's Pokémon GO-Style Harry Potter Mobile Game Is Being Shut Down
Was active for just over two years
Niantic has banked an incredible amount of money with its mobile hit Pokémon GO, but it seems it's been unable to recreate this same level of success with the Harry Potter title, Wizards Unite. In an update on the game's official website yesterday, Niantic announced it would officially shut down the game on 31st...
March of the Pikmin
If playing golf is the best way to spoil a walk, Niantic's hope for Pikmin Bloom, the long-awaited follow-up/sister title to the wildly successful Pokémon GO, is to create the exact opposite — something to "spice up your daily walks" and turn an everyday stroll into something flower-filled and joyful. Rolling out across the...
News Niantic's Pokémon GO-Style Pikmin Smartphone Game Now Has A Name
Bloomin' marvellous!
Pokémon GO developer Niantic's Pikmin smartphone game finally has a name: Pikmin Bloom. The name was leaked a few hours ago and reported on by an unofficial Twitter account related to the game. The post reports that the name was added to the Test Flight version of the app on iOS. Test Flight, in case you didn't know, is...
News 7-Eleven Japan's Pokémon GO Collab Ends, Removing Almost 20,000 Pokéstops
"Thank you to all players"
7-Eleven Japan has just announced that the collaboration between the convenience store and Pokémon GO — which saw over 19,000 Pokéstops added to the stores all over Japan — will end on Sunday, October 31st. All of the Pokéstops will be removed from the game by the early morning (Japan time) of November 1st. The...
News Niantic Changes Pokémon GO's PokéStop And Gym Interaction Distance (Again)
It's back to 80 meters
Earlier this month, Pokémon GO developer Niantic announced it would be assembling a special "task force" to address player concerns raised about interaction distance. In its latest post via social media, Niantic has shared a brief update on the situation. While the task force plans are still scheduled for 1st September, the...
News Niantic's Pikmin Mobile App Is Still Targeting A 2021 Release
Go, go Pikmin!
In Nintendo's latest financial report, the company reconfirmed a number of upcoming Switch releases due out later this year. One other game that's also still on target for 2021 is Niantic's Pikmin mobile title. According to Nintendo, the Pokémon GO style game will be launching in the second half of the year. "In our mobile...
News Niantic Assembling Pokémon GO "Task Force" To Address Player Concerns
"We have heard your feedback"
Following on from Pokémon GO players threatening to boycott the popular mobile game, Niantic has now officially responded to complaints about reverting PokéStop and Gym interaction distance in America and New Zealand. In a lengthy message, the developer says it has "heard the feedback" from the community, In response...
News Pokémon GO Players Are Boycotting The Game After Niantic Removes COVID Changes
Incensed
Over the past few months, Niantic — makers of Pokémon GO — have been rolling back the changes they made to the game for players affected by the global pandemic (read: all of them). Yesterday, they specifically removed the increased interaction range for various points of interest in the US and New Zealand — the former of which is...
News Nintendo's Mobile Income Holds Steady Thanks To Pokémon GO
Pokémon banks
Nintendo has published its quarterly financial results and revealed that its smartphone content business continues to do well, largely thanks to an increase in royalty income — essentially, increased income from the company's stake in Pokémon GO. While there was a slight decline of -0.6% in overall mobile-related income compared...
News Pokémon GO Reduces PokéStop Spin Distance In America And New Zealand
And the community isn't happy
As countries around the world attempt to bounce back from the pandemic, Niantic has decided now is the right time to undo some Pokémon GO safety and accessibility measures tied to the pandemic. The latest update applies specifically to America and New Zealand - with the mobile AR developer announcing at the start of...
News Pokémon GO Banks A Cool $5 Billion In Revenue In Just 5 Years
Pikachu returned
You know that Pokémon GO? It's still pretty popular, by all accounts — specifically the bank accounts of Niantic and The Pokémon Company (and by extension Nintendo). Data from Sensor Tower (thanks, MCVUK) indicates that the hit AR mobile Pokémon catchathon is still doing incredible business around the globe and has now hit the...
News Pokémon GO Is Getting Some Of Its Pre-COVID Features Back
Thank you for waiting. We've restored your Pokémon to full health.
In many countries, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been so successful that a significant proportion of the population is now considered safe. While many of us are using this opportunity to plan all sorts of travel and return to our pre-pandemic hobby of licking strangers, there's...
News Pokémon GO Developer Niantic Announces 'Transformers: Heavy Metal'
A new real-world AR game
Pokémon GO developer Niantic has announced a new partnership with Hasbro and TOMY Company that'll see the launch of TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal, a brand new AR game for mobile. The game will follow in Pokémon GO's footsteps by using the real-world AR and real-time 3D mapping tech made possible by Niantic's 'Lightship'...
News It Appears Pokémon GO Is Falsely Banning iPhone Users Again
Players are receiving the same bans over and over
Last summer, we reported that an alarming number of iPhone users were receiving bans in Pokémon GO despite following the app's rules. At the time, it was thought that "thousands" of accounts had been impacted, causing developer Niantic to acknowledge and investigate claims that its systems were...
News Niantic CEO Shares A Look At Potential AR Glasses
Blurred reality
Niantic is a company that developed and mastered the idea of AR (augmented reality) gaming on smart devices with Ingress, but the title that propelled the company to stratospheric heights was undoubtedly Pokémon Go. It went viral in the summer of 2016 and is still running today, while the company also produced Harry Potter: Wizards...
Poll What Other Nintendo Franchise Would You Like To See Niantic Work On?
Let us know!
Earlier today it was announced that Nintendo and Niantic would be partnering to release a Pikmin mobile app, designed to make walking "more fun" with real-world AR technology. According to the press release, this is the "first in a series of apps" based on Nintendo's beloved characters. Niantic CEO, John Hanke, said it was a "natural...
News Nintendo And Pokémon GO Dev Niantic Are Releasing A Pikmin Mobile App
"The first in a series of apps" the companies will develop
Nintendo and Pokémon GO creator Niantic have announced a new partnership, which will see the two companies create a "series of apps" together. The first title they'll be developing is based on the Pikmin franchise. According to the official PR, these apps will combine Niantic's real-world...
News Niantic "Testing" Pokémon GO Feature That Reveals What's Inside Its Loot Box-Style Eggs
Fair play
Pokémon GO might not necessarily be an average mobile game, but there are still certain aspects of it that encourage users to exchange real-world money for in-game currency. There are also a number of gacha style elements. To make life a little easier for trainers, Niantic has announced it's started testing a new feature with a "limited...
News Niantic Showcases Pokémon GO Proof-Of-Concept HoloLens Demo At Microsoft Ignite 2021
"We’ve only scratched the surface"
At Microsoft Ignite 2021, Niantic announced it would be collaborating with Microsoft and showed off a proof-of-concept Pokémon GO demo on a HoloLens 2 headset. Niantic founder and CEO, John Hanke, appeared in a video illustrating how AR can enrich daily routines. Keep in mind, this demo is not intended for...
News Pokémon GO Strips Away Stay-At-Home Safety Features In The Middle Of A Pandemic
Fans question the company's decision
Pokémon GO developer Niantic has announced a set of updates for the app which will strip away some of the changes made earlier this year, originally designed to keep players safe by allowing them to play at home. As of 1st October at 1pm PDT, the following changes will be made: Hatch Distance will return to...
News Pokémon GO To Lose Support For Android 5, Older iPhones And iOS Versions
October update will end support, says Niantic
The developer of Pokémon GO has announced that support for a handful of devices and platforms will be ending when a new update launches next month. Niantic confirmed in a blog post on the game's website that support will be ending for Android 5, iOS 10 and iOS 11, in addition to Apple's iPhone 5S and...
News Pokémon GO Players Call For Niantic To Disclose Loot Box Odds
It's been a problem for "years"
Pokémon GO trainers are calling for Niantic to disclose "loot box odds" in the insanely popular augmented reality game after fan site The Silph Road discovered the chance of hatching a Deino (see above) in the first three days of the latest event - Dragon Week - was likely to be less than one percent. "Deino’s...
Random Niantic Got Rian Johnson To Direct A Pokémon GO Commercial
"It was a real pleasure"
Niantic's augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO has just turned four years old. To celebrate in style, it's teamed up with the Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out director, Rian Johnson, to produce a special commercial for Pokémon GO Fest 2020 (taking place on 25th - 26th July). Johnson describes himself as a...
News Pokémon GO Is Ending Support For Older Android Devices
Update: Niantic has now postponed this
Update (Thu 18th Jun, 2020 01:30 BST): It looks like Niantic has had second thoughts about dropping support for older Android devices in its next update. This will now be postponed until it's collected more data. Here's the important post it made on its support page: Important update (June 15, 2020): To...
News Pokémon GO Player Spending Soars As More Trainers Bunker Down
Gotta stay inside
Niantic's outdoor mobile game Pokémon GO is reportedly making even more money than it previously was now that people around the globe are locked down indoors. According to Sensor Tower data (via VentureBeat), global player spending in the game reached $23 million last week on 16th March, which was an increase of 66.7% from the...
News Niantic Updates Pokémon GO To Protect Players From The Coronavirus
Will continue until "further notice"
The COVID-19 pandemic – commonly known as the coronavirus outbreak – has already had a huge impact on the games industry. Certain games have been delayed, Switch stock is in short supply in some locations around the world, and most recently it's resulted in the
News Etika's Mural Becomes A PokéStop In Pokémon GO
"JoyconBoyz forever"
Not long after the video game YouTuber Desmond "Etika" Amofah was found deceased last year, his fans banded together and painted a large mural of him in Brooklyn. Now, to add to this, the same location has been transformed into a PokéStop within Niantic's augmented reality mobile-hit, Pokémon GO. This is all thanks to the...
News Pokémon GO Players Contact Advertising Standards Over Hidden Safari Zone Ticket Costs
Update: Niantic responds
Update (Sat 15th Feb, 2020 12:30 GMT): In response to Pokémon GO players being left frustrated at misleading ticket prices (original story below), Niantic has shared an official statement. Ticket pricing has been adjusted to reflect the hidden costs, although no apology for or explanation behind the initial pricing has been...
News Pokémon GO Just Had Its Most Successful Year Ever, Trainers Spent Nearly $900 Million
Money maker
Niantic's augmented reality game Pokémon GO has just recorded its best year ever in terms of in-game player spending. According to Sensor Tower's Store Intelligence estimates, the mobile app generated around $894 million in gross player spending in 2019. Before this, the best period for GO was the year of its launch in 2016, when it...
