Niantic developed Pokémon Go with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. The augmented-reality mobile game launched in 2016 and uses smartphone location data, mapping, and camera features to place Pokémon in the real world.
Niantic built Pokémon Go from technology developed for its earlier location-based game Ingress. Players explore real places, find Pokémon, visit PokéStops, and battle at Gyms. The game's use of outdoor exploration made it different from the traditional handheld role-playing games.
Pokémon Go was released first in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States in July 2016 before expanding to other territories. Its launch produced a major worldwide surge of interest in Pokémon and introduced the franchise to many people who had not played the original games.
Niantic is sometimes confused with Game Freak, which developed the core Pokémon role-playing games. Pokémon Go is a licensed spin-off rather than a main-series title, and its mobile development was led by Niantic.