Niantic, the very happy ancestor of Pokemon Go, has announcement On March 10, the Eighth Wall was captured. Founded in 2016, the company offers tools to help developers simply create augmented reality effects.
Augmented reality in the service of “Beyond Reality”
8th Wall is one of the world’s first online Augmented Reality development platforms. It is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, PC, and AR/VR headsets. It claims to have made it possible to create 50,000 augmented reality experiences, some of which serve leading companies: LEGO, Netflix, Microsoft, Dior and Nike.
No need for manual controls in self-driving vehicles in the US
Its founder and CEO, Eric Murphy-Shutoria, emphasizes why his company exists, ” We started 8th Wall to build a powerful computer vision technology that allows developers to create AR applications that can run anywhere seamlessly “.
That rhetoric is enough to get the attention of John Hank, founder and CEO of Niantic. The latter has taken a stand for the “metaverse of the real world”. Contrary to Meta’s approach, even before the strategic reorientation of Mark Zuckerberg, he advocates the idea of digital subscription with external activities.
What could be more logical and strategic for a company that has built its success on the always profitable Pokemon Go experience. Niantic sees itself at the heart of augmented reality development as explained by Brian McClendon, senior vice president of engineering, mapping and augmented reality for Niantic ” With our Lightship platform, launched globally last November, we are offering all developers the world’s largest immersive panel to bring their large-scale creativity to life. “.
It looks like Niantic and the eighth wall are made for each other
Niantic has suffered some setbacks, most notably with Pokemon Go’s little brother, Harry Potter Wizards Unite. This does not prevent the company from believing deeply in the possibilities of augmented reality.
The consistency of the operation carried out by Niantic is evident,” 8th Wall greatly complements our vision for Lightship, and we plan to extend our developer platform tools with proven WebAR technology. ‘, decoded by Brian McClendon.
The Eighth Wall will retain its independence once the deal is closed. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Niantic has the means anyway, thanks to raising $300 million from Koatu in November. The company is now valued at $9 billion.
