Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Learn more.

Pokémon GO developer Niantic announces new AR game Peridot

In This Article

In This Article

The developer of the smash hit mobile game Pokémon GO, Niantic, has unveiled a new AR pet game – and this time there’s no Nintendo IP in sight. In fact, Peridot is the first Niantic original in quite some time.

Peridot looks to be a Tamagotchi-style pet-caring game for your smartphone. In it you’ll be tasked with raising the titular magical creatures them from birth to adulthood, during which time you’ll explore the real world together (courtesy of Niantic’s patented AR special sauce), play together, and “work with other players to diversify their species”.

The relatedblog postis fairly light on details, but there is an official teaser video giving a taster of what to expect.

Peridot will be entering a soft launch testing phase in select markets soon.

In a post-lockdown world where pet ownership has spiked, it’s either perfectly timed or has just missed the boat. It’ll be fascinating to see which proves to be the case.

Following on from Pokémon GO,Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, andPikmin Bloom, Niantic appeared to have turned into something of a specialist in turning major intellectual property into smartly social, AR-driven mobile games.

However, it’s easy to forget that its first two releases were original products. The first ever Niantic jam was actually a non-gaming app called Field Trip, which used your location to provide a quirky guide to the world around you.

Then there was the company’s first step into location-based and AR-enhanced gaming with the cult hit Ingress, which featured many of the ingredients that would go on to make Pokémon GO such a hit, but with a continuous sci-fi narrative in place of cute fantastical creatures.

The two following games, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Pikmin Bloom, haven’t had quite the same zeitgeisty impact, so it’ll be interesting to see how Peridot fares.

You might like…

You might like…

Jon is a seasoned freelance writer who started covering games and apps in 2007 before expanding into smartphones and consumer tech, dabbling in lifestyle and media coverage along the way. Besides bein…

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.