Pokemon GO Developer Niantic Announces New Original Game Peridot

gamerant.com:

Pokemon GO is as much a cultural phenomenon as a game, reaching over one billion downloads by May 2018. The overwhelmingly popular augmented reality game thrust the genre into the mainstream in a big way and turned developer Niantic into a multi-billion-dollar company. While the studio has released other games since Pokemon GO, such as 2021’s Pikmin Bloom, the California-based former startup has a difficult task if it hopes to top its previous success.

The studio just announced its next game, a new AR pet simulator called Peridot. And while Niantic isn’t wrong to call it an “original” game, Pokemon GO appears to have at least slightly influenced Peridot.

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Niantic describes Peridot as a “real-world adventure pet game.” Players must nurture their AR companions called Peridots, raising them into adulthood while protecting their species from extinction. Players explore the real world to find valuable items that they can use to help care for their digital pets. Whether that means there will also be region-specific content like in Pokemon GO isn’t clear. The app also lets players chronicle the lives of their VR creatures and share these memories on social media.

Based on the limited information provided by Niantic, Peridot puts a heavy focus on the breeding and conservation aspect. Peridots come in various Archetypes resembling animals, both real and fictional. Niantic gives specific examples of cheetahs, dragons, and unicorns along with entirely original creations. Players can then meet up with their Peridots to breed new Archetypes that combine their physical traits. Doing so helps to “re-diversify” the species, maintaining a healthy level of digital genetic diversity. And while