Nintendo teams up with AR company Niantic to bring game characters to life

AR technology company Niantic and Nintendo are partnering together to jointly develop apps that combine Niantic's real-world AR technology with Nintendo’s beloved characters. The first title the two companies are developing together is based on the Pikmin franchise, with gameplay activities designed to encourage walking and make the activity more enjoyable.

The app is scheduled to launch globally later in 2021, with Niantic as the publisher. The title will also be the first title created by Niantic Tokyo Studio, Niantic’s development studio established in April 2018.

As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural next step to team up with Nintendo,” said John Hanke, CEO of Niantic. “We’re looking forward to shaping the future of AR together, bringing Nintendo’s beloved game characters to life for mobile game players around the world.”

“Niantic’s AR technology has made it possible for us to experience the world as if Pikmin are secretly living all around us”, said Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director, Fellow, Nintendo. “Based on the theme of making walking fun, our mission is to provide people a new experience that’s different from traditional games. We hope that the Pikmin and this app will become a partner in your life.”

Niantic is a leading AR company, inspiring people to explore the world, together. Our signature slate of products--Ingress, Pokemon GO, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite—reaches a global community of hundreds of millions of Niantic explorers. The Niantic Real World Platform offers creators cross-platform API’s and tools that simplify the development of AR applications for current and future mobile devices.