Pokémon GO creator analyzes Apple Vision Pro

Niantic will only focus on Pokémon Go!

as expected, The introduction of the Apple Vision Pro generated opinions among influential people in the world of technology. With few exceptions, most of them agreed with Apple’s hardware decisions. He was the last to talk about it Niantic CEO John Hankealthough he did so in a completely different context than that of his colleagues.

Hanke confirmed that Niantic is laying off workers, closing its Los Angeles studio, and canceling new and upcoming augmented reality game titlesto focus on the most important games and because Apple’s mixed reality glasses have something to do with it.

Niantic will shut down augmented reality games

Niantic is laying off 230 employees, putting an NBA All-World spinoff and putting development on Marvel: World of Heroes on hold. From the company they confirm it Growth during the pandemic is taking its toll They are now obliged to correct imbalances affecting current demand.

when asked about The influence of the Apple Vision Pro and other similar devices as a reason to focus on a specific type of gameHankey replied:

The rise of MR (such as the Meta Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro) underscores the long-term importance of augmented reality, but this class of devices is only a stepping stone to true outdoor augmented reality devices.

Along the same lines, albeit more optimistically, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey also recently spoke about the Vision Pro. Midway through the interview, he shared his thoughts on how future Vision hardware will change, why an external battery is so important and what do you expect Apple to do in the VR space in the future.

Hanke told employees today that the company He will narrow his focus to mobile game investments, with a focus on Monopoly games that strongly embody our core values ​​of location and local social communities. “_

As more companies join the wave of layoffs in the technology sector, Apple has tried to avoid it and will only make the necessary and necessary hires.

According to some of the job postings posted by Apple, these contractions are looking to fill positions that require machine learning expertise and a strong interest in conversational and generative AI. And of course, the result is supposed to be part of the features that will enrich the experience when using Apple Vision Pro.