‘Pokémon GO’ Developer Reveals Plans To Take The Metaverse Outside In First Ad
Image via Niantic
Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO, has always had augmented reality (AR) as a signature touch to its games. It might seem natural that it’d be moving towards the metaverse, but the company has a different take to most.
In a blog post from October, founder and CEO John Hanke had written that the conversation around the metaverse has been too focused, up until now, on ditching our current world and heading for something that has the potential to be “better,” in a very grass-is-always-greener take.
That’s not what Niantic wants to do; instead, its visions for the metaverse are still based around the “reality” part of augmented reality. The company hopes that it can keep “encouraging everyone, ourselves included, to stand up, walk outside, and connect with people and the world around us.”
Now, that’s something that might conjure up memories of the summer months of 2016, which are often dubbed “Pokémon GO Summer.” Simpler times, right?
Image via Niantic
So to bring this vision to life is the firm’s new brand campaign, titled Meet You Out There, which celebrates its mission of keeping people up on their feet, moving, and connecting with the world around them.
In a two-minute film, characters from around the world are drawn outside by a mysterious object, which leads them on somewhat of a wild goose chase to see what it is. Starting out alone, they band together on their journey, and it culminates in a gathering of a larger crowd or two.
Image via Niantic
Created in collaboration with marketing agency Gravity Road, the spot does tap AR—it is Niantic’s specialty, after all—but it’s not overtly obvious throughout. Archit Bhargava, Niantic’s director of worldwide product marketing, explains to Fast Company, that it’s because the company didn’t want to overshadow the real world or make it seem like the metaverse is the better alternative.
“The idea was, what if this ship was calling people outside like an ice cream truck of optimism,” he says. It’s not to say that the metaverse is what we should be aiming for and leaving the real world in the dust.
“We are absolutely anti that,” Bhargava continues. “We’re focused on a future where technology and our tools can be a layer on top of reality—be additive, be subtle, and that’s what we want to represent in this vision.”
It’s in line with what Hanke wrote in his blog post: “Technology should be used to make these core human experiences better—not to replace them.”
[via Fast Company, all images via Niantic]
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