Niantic plans to cover the planet in AR with a new buyout

While we’re all stuck at home, virtual beasts plan to take over the world. Things are far less dramatic actually and concern a recent acquisition by Niantic, the company behind the popular AR game Pokemon Go (hence the virtual beasts reference). Engadget reports that Niantic has acquired 3D mapping startup 6D.ai in a bid to create a planet-scale augmented reality.

It’s not exactly clear what planet-scale AR actually is but we assume people will start seeing huge Pokemon and Ingress nodes all around the globe, once the idea comes to fruition. 6D.ai specializes in large AR reconstruction projects and 3D mapping so, as Niantic themselves teased the public, expect the medieval map’s moniker “Here Be Dragons”.

“We are extremely proud to join Niantic after three years of taking on the most difficult computer vision software problems so that AR experiences could realistically interact with the physical and digital worlds”, wrote Matt Miesnieks, CEO of 6D.ai, on Medium.

Whatever comes out of this deal, augmented reality will most likely benefit, and we might get better AR games in the near future. Niantic introduced some gameplay changes in Pokemon Go recently to keep people home and safe, so while you wait for the AR revolution to happen, enjoy its current iteration from the comfort of your couch.