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Niantic, the creator of the popular Pokémon GO, has reportedly raised USD 300 million from global investment manager Caotue at a valuation of USD 9 billion. The San Francisco-based AR game developer will use the fresh funds to develop a “real-world metaverse”.
The founder CEO John Hanke mentioned that, unlike Facebook, Niantic prefers to connect people to the outside world through a metaverse rather than forcing them to remain confined to their VR headsets, which he described as a dystopian nightmare.
Niantic recently launched the ARDK (Lightship AR Developer Kit), which creates tools that allow any user with a basic understanding of the Unity game engine to develop AR games.
It is worth noting that ARDK is already being used by several tech behemoths to create AR experiences for their audiences, including Warner Music Group, Coachella, Universal Pictures, Historic Royal Palaces, SoftBank, and the PGA of America. The additional investment should also help the company expand this innovation.
Sources claimed that Pokémon GO has managed to generate more than USD 1 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to outperform its previous revenue records this year as well. According to the company, more than 10 million people play Niantic games each month and have walked for more than 10.9 miles per day since the launch of AR-based games.
Matt Mazzeo, a Partner at Coatue, stated that this partnership would help support the metaverse infrastructure and empower the next internet revolution. He further claimed that Niantic is developing an AR-based platform based on a 3D global map that is set to fundamentally change the computing landscape.
On the flip side, the company announced to have shut down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite after observing a 57% drop in worldwide installations. Moreover, games like Pikmin Bloom has been claimed to be alienating to the elderly and disabled, since it mostly revolves around walking.
In this context, a group of disabled players suggested that Pokémon GO could make use of certain features so that people with minimal movement can enjoy it more easily.
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