Pokemon Go Developer Partners with Nintendo for Pikmin Mobile App

The maker of Pokemon Go is developing a new app based on Nintendo's Pikmin franchise. Earlier today, Nintendo announced that it was working with Niantic to develop several new mobile apps based on various Nintendo franchises. The first of these games will be a new Pikmin mobile app, developed by Niantic Tokyo Studio. The Pikmin game will be released later this year. The app will function similar to Pokemon Go, with Pikmin following players in the real world using AR technology. Future Nintendo/Niantic games will also leverage Niantic's popular real-world AR technology, which use a combination of mapping and camera technology to encourage players to explore their surroundings.

No name for the app was announced, but Niantic's Tatsuo Nomura confirmed in a tweet that it would not be called "Pikmin Go."

"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 in a press release. "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."

"As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural next step to team up with Nintendo," added John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, in the same press release. "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."

This will be Niantic's fourth mobile game, all of which use the same AR technology, but with different twists. In addition to Pokemon Go, Niantic also actively supports Ingress and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The game developer is also working on a Catan mobile game. Notably, Nintendo is a part-owner of Niantic, having invested $30 million (along with Google and The Pokemon Company) when Niantic officially broke away from Google back in 2015.

You can sign up for future updates about the upcoming Pikmin app on Niantic's website.