Niantic led development of Pokémon Go, the location-based augmented-reality game released for iOS and Android in 2016. The project combined Niantic’s mapping and location-game technology with Pokémon characters and mechanics.
Pokémon Go grew from Niantic’s earlier game Ingress, which used real-world locations as important parts of its gameplay. Players explore their surroundings, find Pokémon, visit PokéStops, and battle or cooperate at Gyms. The game uses a phone’s GPS, camera, and internet connection to connect the fictional Pokémon world with real places.
Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Google were involved as investors or partners, so Niantic was not the only organization connected to the project. However, Niantic is the company credited with development. Game Freak, the main developer of the core role-playing games, did not lead Pokémon Go’s development.
The game launched in stages during July 2016 and quickly became a worldwide cultural event. Its success created a second major Pokémon boom two decades after the original games appeared.