'Ingress' News: Niantic To Update Pre-'Pokémon GO' AR Game
Game developer Niantic recently announced they would be making a major overhaul to their first augmented reality game, "Ingress."
"Pokémon GO" is widely known for being one of the most downloaded mobile games, and many say that the established fame of the franchise is to be attributed for the title's success. However, it is also important to note that the game became widely popular for its effective use of augmented reality technology.
Gaming enthusiasts might recall that "Pokémon GO" was actually not the first AR-supported mobile game that Niantic has launched. Before it, there was "Ingress."
"Ingress" was first launched in 2012 on Android and arrived for iOS two years later. It is a massively multiplayer online game that places players in two opposing factions. The players' main goal is to create portals and control them since these will allow them virtual access to landmarks within their area.
Niantic has yet to announce details with regard to the game's overhaul. However, its name change to "Ingress Prime" suggests that it is not a simple update.
In the game's official website, the developers posted a message that said: "Something is very wrong, Agent... The world is not as it seems. A secret war is taking place in the shadows, and you have the power to mold the fate of this universe. But you'll need the right people... and you'll need a very special piece of technology: Ingress Prime."
Meanwhile, Niantic head John Hanke told The Verge that they had needed to pull out some of the "Ingress" developers and transfer them to the "Pokémon GO" team because of the latter game's growth.
The company CEO also admitted: "We haven't been able to give the [Ingress] community much in terms of new features for the past year. Luckily the community has stayed with us and remained strong, but we're excited now to have a fully-staffed team on Ingress."
"Ingress Prime" is slated to be released in 2018.
