Niantic (developer of Pokémon Go) announced the acquisition of AR startup 6D.ai. It is a company that builds software which helps in creating 3D map of one’s surrounding with a smartphone camera. The Pokémon Go developing company says that the deal will help in creation of “new kinds of planet-scale AR experiences.”
The current valuation of Niantic is USD 4 billion, whose part credit goes to the roaring success of Pokémon Go.
The valuation of Niantic is directly related to the goal of building the future of AR. The company is working on an AR platform to compete with channels like Facebook and Apple, and the acquisition of 6D.ai is one big step toward the ultimate goal.
The CEO of Niantic, John Hanke in a blog post commented:
“From the beginning, we set out to infuse our daily lives and routines with a bit of fun and adventure by building an augmented world that parallels the physical. This bold pursuit requires significant advancements in AR technology that can only be made possible with an accurate and constantly updated 3D map of the real world.
Now, we’ll be able to leverage 6D.ai’s deep expertise and significant breakthroughs in AR research and engineering to further our ongoing work in support of our mission.”
6D.ai was founded in 2017 and had the ability to solve AR problems. Until this point, the company had mainly focused on enterprise uses for its technology. According to Hanke, “We’ve only scratched the surface on the potential of AR.” He is looking forward to see major development in the field of AR visions. He added, “Imagine everyone, at the same time, being able to experience Pokémon habitats in the real world or watch dragons fly through the sky and land on buildings in real-time.”
It is very likely that if Niantic can empower developers in creating unique and superior AR experiences, there will be rapid growth and development in around all the industries.
Post the acquisition process, the majority of 6D.ai staff will be joining Niantic. The co-founder Victor Prisacariu will be joining Niantic’s Research Group in London while CEO Matt Miesnieks will take on an advisory role.
