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Niantic Lightship Augmented Reality Accelerator
Giving UK startups the chance to develop game-changing immersive experiences as part of Niantic’s mission to create a real-world metaverse.
Building the real world metaverse
FutureScope is currently delivering this programme in partnership with Niantic, the technology company behind Pokemon Go, renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor CBE (Studio Wayne McGregor), and global TV brand Cartoon Network.
Together, we have been working with three of the UK’s leading immersive studios on creating groundbreaking AR experiences for these three global brands. Immersive studios Mobile Pie, No Ghost and Arcade have been awarded up to £100,000 each to develop a demonstrator of a socially engaging AR experience using Niantic’s recently-launched Lightship Augmented Developer Kit (ARDK) .
The ARDK provides immersive studios with the tools they need to create immersive, multiplayer experiences – lowering the barriers to entry for developers to create AR experiences that inspire movement, exploration, and shared experiences in the real world.
Now in its final stages, Niantic Lightship Augmented Reality will conclude with a final Showcase event in February 2023.
This programme is now live
The selected immersive studios are:
No Ghost
No Ghost is a creative animation studio that specialises in immersive media. They work with the latest game engine technology to create custom apps through the medium of AR & VR – delivering narratives and interactive experiences to a digital audience. Their VR adventure Madrid Noir, which features a meticulously detailed re-imagining of Spain’s capital, was part of the Official Selection for the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021 and was featured in the Cannes XR Marché du Film. Madrid Noir was also part of Digital Catapult and Arts Council England’s CreativeXR 2019 cohort.
Mobile Pie
Mobile Pie is an award-winning games studio, focusing on games and entertainment for younger audiences. They work with entertainment clients and broadcasters such as Aardman Animations, P2 Games, CBeebies, CBBC and Cartoon Network, creating titles that have entertained and educated millions of children around the world. Recent projects have included titles for BBC Bitesize, including the TIGA award-winning History Detectives, Ben 10: Super Hero Time on Roblox for Cartoon Network, as well as Horrid Henry’s Krazy Karts on the Nintendo Switch with P2 Games and Novel Entertainment.
Arcade
Arcade is a leading immersive experience agency that uses augmented reality to create more meaningful connections between people and the world around us.
They have produced award-winning, three-dimensional storytelling for some of the world’s leading brands, and arts & culture institutions, including The National Gallery, Sky, Disney, ECB, and UK Parliament. Arcade uses technologies and platforms including computer vision, deep neural net machine learning, image and object recognition, Niantic Lightship, ARKit, ARCore, WebAR, Lens Studio, Unity, Unreal and to deliver their world-class immersive experiences. Arcade previously worked with Digital Catapult and the MUNCH museum in Oslo to create a prototype AR crowd-sourced immersive experience inspired by Norway’s greatest artist, Edvard Munch, and his approach to art, to inspire children to get creative.
Read more on digitalcatapult.org.uk
Read more on digitalcatapult.org.uk
News
Pokemon Go creator and Digital Catapult partnering to develop real-world metaverse
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“For brands in 2022, building a closer connection with consumers by enriching human interaction is central to staying relevant. And, as the physical and virtual worlds intertwine, we see the enormous value startups can bring to the development of real-world metaverse experiences.”
Kate CarlyleSenior Marketing Manager – Lightship Platform
“We know that deeply engaging with movement gives us an intimate insight into what it is to be human and expands our understanding of our place in the world. This project provides everybody with accessible tools to tap into their innate creativity, to connect playfully with others and to explore their bodies and spaces they inhabit in surprising, limitless ways.”
Wayne McGregor CBE
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