CAMPFIRE – Internet Sleuths Uncover Top Secret New Niantic Game

Internet Sleuths Uncover Top Secret Niantic Game

From the heady heights of Pokémon Go to the recent addition of Pikmin Bloom, Niantic Game has come to dominate the augmented reality genre (and app games in general) with Nintendo IPs. But rumors have begun to circulate over their next great augmented adventure. And this time they’re going solo.

According to a recently spotted trademark filing, the new Niantic game may be titled ‘CAMPFIRE’, with all indications that it will become their next AR video game foray.

Despite being the bonafide kings of the augmented reality genre, Niantic has released just a handful of titles. These include the aforementioned Nintendo collaborations, along with the not-so-successful Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in partnership with WB Games San Francisco, which officially closed at the end of January this year.

Their only solo AR endeavor, however, was also their debut: the 2013 app game Ingress. This revolutionary title, which saw players interact with physical points of interest where “human creativity and ingenuity is expressed” in their immediate surroundings, is unsurprisingly very similar to Pokémon Go gameplay-wise.

But the success of this AR debut is evidenced by their subsequent cash cow partnership with the Pokémon Company and the fact that Ingress is still available to download on Android and iOS devices. Which implies good things for their second attempt at going it alone.

The rumors that CAMPFIRE may be similar to both Pokémon Go and Ingress are mainly rooted in Niantic’s latest recruitment drive. A February job listing saw them calling out for a new Senior Systems Designer with experience in AR game and geo-location functionality. And there’s also the simpler explanation of sticking to what you’re good at.

After all, with Pokémon Go raking in as much cash as it does, why wouldn’t Niantic continue to milk the very format they’ve come to dominate for all that it’s worth? Despite titles like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite falling at the first hurdle, Niantic have enough experience under their belt at this point to maximise the potential that comes with full creative control of an IP.

If true, we are all left to speculate what the new Niantic game might look like. Our seasoned experts suggest that it will involve campfires. Additionally, these campfires can be interacted with through augmented reality. But whether that outlandish theory bears fruit remains to be seen.