Niantic is a global software development company based in San Francisco, which was founded by tech pioneer John Hanke (known for Google Earth and Google Maps) in 2010 and launched as an internal start-up within Google.

Niantic is best known for its leadership in Augmented Reality, delivering compelling planet-scale real-world experiences to hundreds of millions of people through its apps Ingress, Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and more.

Peridot, the franchise, is born

In May 2023, Niantic unveiled Peridot, a brand new franchise starting with a unique AR mobile game that enabled users to breed, nurture, and interact with magical creatures called ‘Dots.’ Peridot’s distinguishing feature is its groundbreaking breeding system. Using Niantic’s Perigenetics System, users can generate genetically unique creatures with their own virtual DNA, resulting in an estimated 2.3 × 10²⁴ potential Dots.

Technological Innovation

Peridot is powered by Niantic’s AR SDK for Unity to deliver a game that is experienced fully in augmented reality. Thanks to years of computer vision and AI research, breakthroughs like real-time mapping, obstacle occlusion, and semantic segmentation mean Dots can interact with real-world surroundings in remarkably realistic ways and get smarter over time. It means players can feed, pet, and play with them (almost like real pets!), and participate in explorations and community events with other users.

Peridot is also notable among the gaming world for being one of the first augmented reality videogames to adopt generative AI capabilities – a groundbreaking step forward in immersive and original virtual experiences. These AI capabilities make it possible for Dots to display unique, authentic reactions to whatever environment they inhabit. Whether it’s another animal, human, or inanimate object, Dots can respond in an organic and natural way that closely emulates the behavior of real pets. For example, if a Dot sees a flower, it may walk up to it and sniff it. Or, if a Dot is asked if it is hungry, it might sit back and patiently wait for food.

Peridot has quickly captured the hearts of users across the globe. The game boasts over 1.5 million downloads, and is a winner of a variety of industry awards including three awards at the 2024 Webby Awards and 2 awards at the 2024 Lovie Awards. Its social media presence is also considerable, with #Peridot garnering 200+ million views on TikTok alone.

New Dimensions of Peridot arrive, starting with Hello, Dot

A year after the launch of Peridot, in May 2024, Niantic unveiled yet another innovation, Hello, Dot – a standalone Peridot experience designed exclusively for mixed reality headsets. This new experience enables users to engage with Dots within their own physical world, no longer confined to the mobile experience.

While Hello, Dot shares similarities with the traditional Peridot experience, adding mixed-reality capabilities elevates Peridot’s immersiveness to a whole new level. Leveraging alongside the Meta Quest 3’s and Apple Vision Pro’s advanced hand-tracking capabilities, users can interact realistically with their Dots as if they exist within the real world.

Through these headsets, Dots can seamlessly and convincingly act and react to the user’s own environments, using walls, tables, chairs, and other physical objects to express themselves and engage with their owners. Users can sit on the couch and watch their Dots jump up and sit next to them, hide under furniture when startled, or eagerly chase a virtual snack.

The immersiveness of Hello, Dot is further enhanced by both Quest 3’s and Vision Pro’s high resolution color passthrough, offering users a crystal clear view of their virtual Dots as they navigate their environments. Combined with the headset’s advanced hand-tracking capabilities, interactions feel intuitive, allowing users to pet, feed, play, or lounge around with their Dots as if they were actual pets.

Peridot Beyond brings the magic of Peridot to outdoor AR glasses

In September 2024, Niantic announced the launch of Peridot Beyond – another groundbreaking new experience optimized specifically for Snap Spectacles, and the company’s first experience built for true outdoor AR glasses usage. This variation of Peridot offers users a hands-free adventure, allowing them to take the Peridot experience with them wherever they go.

Unlike the traditional Peridot experience, which requires users to interact with Dots through their mobile devices, Peridot Beyond completely breaks these confines. With Snap Spectacles advanced camera-based AR capabilities, users can engage with their Dots with unprecedented freedom. Players can cuddle their Dots, feed them snacks, play frisbee, and even enjoy interactive activities like dressing them up, all brought to life with unparalleled realism.

The lightweight design of Snap Spectacles make it effortless to bring Dots to any environment without relying on phones or cumbersome devices. Peridot Beyond also fully utilized the on-device computing power of the Snap Spectacles, which quickly renders AR interactions for accurate and responsive gameplay. Peridot Beyond represents a monumental step forward in both mobile and AR gaming, offering a glimpse of what the future of AR experiences could look like with the true AR glasses of the future.

Pioneering gaming innovation

Niantic has firmly established itself as an AR/MR gaming industry leader, harnessing cutting-edge digital innovations to create deeply immersive experiences for players. In addition to the company’s pioneering use of mixed reality and AR, the Peridot mobile game is also one of the first to incorporate generative AI technology at scale.

By integrating Niantic’s AI algorithms, the Niantic SDK for Unity, and Meta’s Llama 2 large language model, Dots within the game can react naturally to their environments and objects. For example, if a Dot sees another animal in the wild, it may react aggressively, run away, or even approach it with curiosity. Dots can also respond to questions and commands; if a user asks their Dot if they’d like to go on a walk, they might spin around quickly as a confirmation–the Dot’s own personality shapes each response.

Niantic is also committed to “gaming-for-good”, which is evident in Peridot’s focus in using technology to create positive change in our communities. This included a number of initiatives in 2024 centered around pride awareness, sustainability, mental wellness, and physical rehabilitation, as outlined in greater detail in Peridot’s social impact recap.

More About Niantic

Hanke’s goal from the outset has been to create games and technology that encourages people to explore, exercise and create social connections in the real world.

The company’s initial focus was on geospatial technology, specifically the development of 3D mapping application ‘Keyhole’, which formed the groundwork for Google Earth and Google Maps.

Niantic went independent in 2015 and quickly moved into the gaming industry. In 2016, the company launched its first global hit, Pokémon GO – an interactive, augmented reality mobile game that sparked a cultural phenomenon.

Pokémon GO is celebrated for blending physical and virtual worlds, enabling players to catch and evolve Pokémon, battle their friends, and join community events, all through their mobile devices. The game has been downloaded over 1 billion times and continues to be played by tens of millions of players every month.

In recent years, Niantic has built on the success of Pokémon GO, expanding its AR mobile game catalog, and developing titles that include Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now – spinoffs of highly successful Nintendo and Capcom videogame series.