Marvel and Pokemon Go Maker Niantic Announce New Game

Marvel has announced a new collaboration with Niantic, the maker of the popular mobile app Pokemon Go. Today at D23 Expo, Marvel and Niantic announced Marvel World of Heroes, a new mobile app that leverages Niantic’s augmented reality technology. Gameplay will involve players creating their own superhero identity and patrolling their neighborhood to foil crimes and complete missions. Eventually, players can team up wiht heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, and other heroes to stop supervillains.

Niantic is best known for their development of Pokemon Go, an immensely popular mobile app that combines real-world locations with the catching and battling of Pokemon. Niantic has since teamed up for collaborations with various brands and companies on similar mobile apps. These apps typically have some kind of real-world component that involves visiting local landmarks and places of interest to access various kinds of gameplay. The games all utilize Niantic’s user-driven maps as well as “augmented reality” gameplay that can be accessed by a player’s phone camera. 

Although Pokemon Go has been a wild success and remains one of the top grossing mobile apps to this day, Niantic hasn’t imitated its success with other apps. It’s biggest post-Pokemon Go game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite shut down in early January after less than three years. Earlier this year, Niantic announced major layoffs to its workforce and the cancellation of several of its other planned projects, including a previously announced Transformers game. At the same time, Niantic announced plans to launch its own IP Periodot, which involves breeding generations of fictional creatures, and NBA All-World, a game in which players collect NBA players and bolster their skills so they can challenge other players in gyms. Both Peridot and NBA All-World are due to be released later this year. 

More details about Marvel World of Heroes will likely be announced in the coming weeks. We’ll have full coverage about this new Marvel game as more news is available.