Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, is releasing a social network called Campfire that integrates with the company’s games and apps that use Lightship. Campfire uses your Niantic account’s friend list to show their locations on a map, allowing players to organize and RSVP to in-person events such as Pokémon raids, or chat with other players in group chats.
Niantic hopes that Campfire will make its games more social while simultaneously allowing independent developers to shine a light on their Lightship-powered apps for Niantic’s millions of users. The company also hopes to expand its capabilities to include a location mapping software for AR, called the ‘Visual Positioning System’ or VPS.
“Our goal is to create tools for people that want to build apps they can run cross-platform and that they own and control,” says Niantic CEO, John Hanke. “And they’re not just features on somebody else’s service, but they’re actually applications that can exist on their own and that whole companies can be built around.”
Image Credit: Niantic
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Social Network Integration
- Opportunity for other game and app developers to integrate social network features that utilize location-based technology.
- AR Location Mapping Software
- Development of AR location mapping software can improve AR app experiences and create new opportunities for businesses and industries.
- Cross-platform App Development Tools
- Creation of cross-platform app development tools can help establish new companies and provide more app options for users.
Where This Applies
- Gaming
- Integration of social network features into gaming can create new opportunities for user interaction, event organization, and app discovery.
- Augmented Reality
- AR location mapping software can greatly improve AR experiences in industries such as tourism, education, and real estate.
- App Development
- Cross-platform app development tools can help streamline the app development process and provide more options for businesses and industries to create their own mobile apps.
