Last month Niantic, creator of
the AR-based mobile game app phenomenon “Pokémon Go” released their latest
app based on a major multimedia franchise, “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.” This
app turns players into witches and wizards tasked with recovering magical
creatures and artifacts before their presence exposes the Wizarding world to the
Muggle population. As it turns out this would only be the tip of the iceberg
concerning the many mobile apps coming soon, all based from some major
franchise or other. Niantic is not the only big developer the franchises can
turn to, and the first looks at these other titles are certainly very
interesting.
USA Today has recently covered a selection of cool mobile apps that
are releasing soon, each bearing the name of a franchise that is popular to moviegoers,
streaming binge-watchers or simply other gamers as well. Almost all of them
bear similarities to the basic gameplay of “Pokémon Go”: augmented reality
matched with map data for real-world roaming. Whether the objective is to catch
them, collect them or interact with them, these apps present cool stuff inside
their game worlds that players will be sure to have fun with while on the move,
another Niantic pioneering.
The first example of these
up-and-coming franchised apps is “Jurassic World Alive,” from Universal and
Ludia. Based on the aftermath of 2018 “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” players
must track down the dinosaurs from the doomed Isla Nublar that have been set
free into human civilization to spread in a new dinosaur age. It has already
launched this March, but is still adding features. Next, Mojang is giving its
phenomenal game “Minecraft” the AR treatment with “Minecraft Earth,” with
players able to gather resources on specific map points, use them to build constructs,
and then place them in the AR environment.
For another game gone mobile
example, Rovio is developing “Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs.” This app imposes
the complex Pig buildings on the player’s surroundings via AR, while they shoot
the titular Angry Birds via slingshot and first-person view at the structures
to topple them and hit the pigs. Finally, Netflix is partnering with Next Games
to create a mobile app based on “Stranger Things.” Players explore the Upside
Down as viewed from their devices, solving puzzles and unlocking secrets while
accompanied by the Hawkins, IN gang in full eighties glory. What is not to like
about that idea?
Both the “Angry Birds” and “Jurassic
World” apps have already released this year in some form, while “Minecraft
Earth” will not be until late 2019, and “Stranger Things” even later on in
2020. It is the age of big franchises getting AR-based mobile game apps, and it
is up to you to choose your favorite.
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