Niantic, the San Francisco-based mobile game developer, has announced a new game,Marvel World of Heroes. The game will follow the successful blueprint ofPokemon GOin using Niantic’s proprietary augmented reality technology. This means that players will be accessing some of the game’s content via the camera.Marvel World of Heroesand the collaboration betweenNianticand Marvel were announced today at the D23 Expo. The game is going to launch later this year.
InPokemon GO, players step into the role of a Pokemon trainer in an augmented reality game that uses the player’s physical surroundings. Graphics are drawn on the mobile device over the landscape shown through the camera’s lens. Part of the charm of the game is that it requires physical movement. A day at the park could be spent onPokemon GOsearching for berries, coming across encounters, and finding new Pokemon. Now Niantic is using the same premise for its upcoming Marvel title.
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Marvel is a treasure trove of content and Disney is a master of licensing. The latest Marvel licensee, Niantic, is the world’s foremost developer ofaugmented reality gamesand has just announcedMarvel World of Heroes. At this point, Niantic didn’t reveal any gameplay footage, but the teaser shows thatMarvel World of Heroesdelivers a similar experience to the developer’s previous AR titles. This means that players are going to become superheroes via the viewfinder of the camera. In the game, players create their own Super Hero identities and origin stories.
InMarvel World of Heroesplayers fight virtual crime in their real-world neighborhoods and complete Super Hero missions. In addition, they will be joined by popular Marvel characters including Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America. Leveling up will allow players to unlock new gear and upgrades. According to the trailer, these include otherMarvel characters' abilitiesand equipment, e.g. optic blast from Cyclops and the hammer of Thor.
After the immense success ofPokemon GO,Niantic produced various similar experiences. Unfortunately, the developer hasn’t reached the popularity ofPokemon GOwith subsequent titles. Perhaps the most popular of these post-Pokemon GOgames was the game based on J. K. Rowling’s popularHarry Potterfranchise. However,Harry Potter: Wizards Unitewas discontinued earlier this yearafter roughly 30 months of service.
Reportedly,Niantic has had to cancel multiple projectsand lay off staff. This includedTransformers: Heavy Metal, which was developed in partnership with Hasbro. The company is seeking a replacement for its massive crowd of AR gamers, and perhaps the humongous fanbase of the Marvel Universe is the key to another success. This should provide Niantic with an immensely powerful suite of content to offer through its unique AR experience.
