Pokémon Go creator Niantic is canceling projects, laying off 8% of employees

Pokemon he goes and the making pictures Thrives Maker Niantic is cutting costs and canceling games. According to a new report from BloombergThe augmented reality technology company and game maker has laid off 8% of its staff and canceled four projects in development. This includes two previously announced efforts, the AR game Transformers: heavy metal And the In cooperation with the theater company PunchdrunkShe is famous for her immersive gameplay Don’t sleep anymore†

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Niantic CEO John Hanke told employees in an email that the company was “entering a time of economic turmoil” and wanted to control costs.

Niantic is known for its successful mobile game pokemon goFollow the Augmented Reality title for the first time Entry† Launched in 2016, pokemon go It was and remains a huge success for Niantic, and was the fifth highest-grossing mobile game in the US in 2021, according to research firm Sensor Tower.

Niantic tried to repeat pokemon goIts success with other popular features. In the summer of 2019 the company Launched Harry Potter: Wizards UniteBut he failed to find a way pokemon go She did. Two years after the release of Wizard World, Niantic announced that it will stop† Niantic later collaborated with Nintendo for Bikmin BloomA modestly successful mobile game, grossing just $5 million – far from it pokemon goBillions of profits.

Based on Bloomberg reports, it looks like Niantic will go ahead recently announced NBA around the world, a free-to-play game where players collect NBA stars, customize and customize them with select items from visits to real locations, and compete against other players in singles matches at their nearby stadiums and other locations. Niantic also has an original virtual pet game, peridotIt’s in development, which has already been provisionally launched and plans to release on a larger scale this year.