Niantic drops Pokémon Go in Russia and acquires the company 8th Wall, specialist in WebAR tools

Niantic embrace the big trend of the moment. The American developer specializing in AR games announces that the very popular Pokemon Go will be removed from app stores in Russia: “We stand with the global community in the hope of peace and a speedy resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine. Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will be temporarily suspended there as well..

We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine. Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will also be suspended there shortly.

— Niantic 🧭 (@NianticLabs) March 11, 2022

Shortly before this announcement, the studio had just confirmed its “biggest acquisition” to date, without further details on the exact amount of the transaction. Niantic acquired 8th Walla company specializing in the development of WebAR development tools (AR for the web therefore).

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This acquisition echoes the ambition displayed by Niantic to develop a real metaverse in AR. Last November, the studio had even raised a fund of 300 million dollars to finance this vast project.