Niantic, the company behind smash hit ARG Pokemon GO, has announced a new acquisition, Seismic Games.
As part of this statement, Niantic said the following:
“At Niantic, we’re committed to our mission of motivating people to exercise, be social, and discover new places. We’re confident that Seismic Games will help us deliver on that mission — faster, and better.”
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, one would expect the two companies to undergo a period of reshuffling as Niantic and Seismic work together to create the best teams possible for their various projects. Niantic plans to help support Seismic and its existing projects
For those who haven’t heard of Seismic Games, they’re another Augmented Reality mobile developer, just like Niantic. Their biggest projects were Marvel: Strike Force and Blade Runner Revelations. The former is a superhero-based action title, while the latter is a short narrative-driven game set in the film universe of Blade Runner.
Niantic’s two biggest games of the foreseeable future — Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite — both rely heavily on licensed IP. So acquiring a team that already has a wealth of experience with licensed IP – paricularly in building engaging games that keep players coming back within those constraints – is a great move for Niantic.