Tag: Niantic

Pokémon Go Gets First Big Level Cap Increase Since 2020 – Kotaku
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Later this year, veteran Pokémon GO players will finally get something many of them have been asking about for years: The game’s level cap for trainers is getting increased. Currently, players max out at level 50. But in October, the level cap will be increased to 80 for all players, doubling the limit Pokémon Go launched with in 2016.

On August 25, Niantic announced in a blog post that it was rebalancing the level-up “journey” in the company’s incredibly popular mobile Pokémon game. When October 15 rolls around, Niantic will release a free update for GO that will increase the game’s trainer level cap from 50 to 80. This new update will also add new milestone rewards, cosmetics, and more. Niantic says leveling up from 1 to 80 will be a more “rewarding leveling journey” compared to the current path from 1 to 50. Here are all the changes Niantic is bringing in the October update:
- The level cap will increase from level 50 to level 80.
- The overall leveling curve from level 1 to 80 will be rebalanced, and players can earn levels more frequently.
- Tasks for Level-Up Research for levels 41 to 50 will be removed.
- New Level-Up Research tasks will be added to levels 71 to 80.
- Players at level 70 and higher have an increased chance of becoming Lucky Friends with other players.
- New rewards will be added to level-up progression, like increased storage capacity for Pokémon, items, and Gifts. This includes new avatar items starting at level 25!
Niantic says that some players with “previously earned experience” will “automatically jump in level” when the update goes live. Those players will still get any new rewards they are owed. The company also confirmed that no players will go down in level, but the amount of XP needed to reach your next level might change after the update.

The game’s original level cap for trainers was 40 before it was raised to 50 in November 2020. While the new October update will finally increase this for trainers, Pokémon levels will not see a similar bump to 80 and will remain capped at 50.

Right before the update goes live, Pokémon Go players will receive a special medal permanently marking their highest achieved level from the 1 to 50 era. And for those who reached level 50, you’ll get a new avatar pose that will let you show off the jacket that is currently awarded upon maxing out the trainer level. This jacket, as well as all other cosmetics earned between 40 and 50, will be vaulted, and new players won’t be able to earn them. So if you’re close to reaching 50 and want that cool jacket to show off, you need to level up before October 15.

To help players hit 50 before the new update goes live later this year, Niantic has activated a number of bonuses in Pokémon Go for all players that will remain in place until October 14. These bonuses, listed below, will stack with event bonuses, too.
- 2× Catch XP from Nice, Great, and Excellent Throws
- +3,000 XP from winning raids
- +3,000 XP from winning Max Battles
So get out there and catch a bunch of Pokémon and turn them into candy before October 15 so you can level up to 50 and forever show off that awesome jacket that new players won’t be able to get. You’ll feel so special and exclusive. And isn’t that what we all want in life?
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Zack Zwiezen

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August 25, 2025
Hope for Haiti and Niantic 8th Wall Partner to Leverage AR Technology for Social Good, Launch Donation Match at Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2024

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LONG BEACH, Calif., June 19, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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Hope for Haiti is thrilled to announce a partnership with Niantic 8th Wall, uniting the power of augmented reality (AR) technology and philanthropy to drive meaningful change in Haiti. This collaboration underscores Niantic’s commitment to leveraging AR for social good and aligns seamlessly with Hope for Haiti’s mission to address real-world challenges through innovation. This collaboration not only brings innovative AR experiences to life but also supports critical humanitarian work in Haiti. Hope for Haiti is one of few nonprofits integrating AR technology into their work and how they reach supporters.

“Niantic has always had an inherent social impact by encouraging people to connect and explore the world together. The work with Hope for Haiti showcases how we can advance philanthropy and community impact by leveraging our technology to make a broader impact,” said Yennie Solheim, Director of Social Impact at Niantic.

Developer Challenge: Harnessing AR for Impact As part of this partnership, Niantic issued a developer challenge, inviting their community to build WebAR experiences on 8th Wall. This challenge was not only a showcase of technological innovation but also an opportunity to uplift critical work in Haiti. Developers utilized WebAR and immersive storytelling to create experiences that make a real-world impact, competing for $15,000 in prizes. Read more about the challenge and view the winners here.

Donation Match: Amplifying Support for Haiti In a significant show of support, Niantic has committed to matching donations made through these AR experiences. At the end of each AR experience, users will find a donation page where they can directly support Hope for Haiti’s critical projects in Haiti, including healthcare and responding to the current humanitarian crisis. With Niantic’s match, our goal is to raise $10,000 during the Augmented World Expo (AWE). We invite attendees to visit Hope for Haiti’s booth #1046 during the conference at the AWE Playground to demo the experiences for a chance to win a special raffle prize.

“Most of us have a smartphone sitting just a few inches away from our hands at any given moment. By tapping into AR, we can engage with new audiences who we would not have reached otherwise, while also connecting them to Haiti,” said Sarah Porter, Hope for Haiti’s Director of Innovative Philanthropy.

About Hope for Haiti
Hope for Haiti is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly women and children, through education, healthcare, clean water/WASH, and economic opportunity. Since its founding in 1989, Hope for Haiti has worked hand-in-hand with local partners to create lasting change and remains steadfast in its commitment to empowering communities and fostering sustainable development in southern Haiti. Hope for Haiti is a four-star-rated charity by Charity Navigator and is a participant at the Platinum Level through the GuideStar Exchange, two leading independent evaluators recognizing the organization’s transparency and careful stewardship of donor resources. To learn more: www.hopeforhaiti.com.

Source: Hope for Haiti

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June 19, 2024
Pikmin Bloom has been helping me meet my outdoor walking goals for years

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Over the past few years, I’ve developed a peaceful little routine to make up for time spent cooped up inside working on sunny days: after I’ve closed my laptop for the day, I throw my sneakers on, open Pikmin Bloom on my phone, and go for a long walk to clear my head and plant virtual flowers with the ‘min.

Pikmin Bloom was released for Android and iOS in 2021 by Pokémon Go developer Niantic and Nintendo as another “go outside and touch grass” app, and I’ve been playing it pretty regularly since then. Only recently, when the app announced some special events for its 2.5-year anniversary, did it occur to me how long I’ve actually stuck with it. There isn’t all that much to Pikmin Bloom, but that’s part of the charm — it’s more of a walking buddy than a full-on game. You accumulate Pikmin, feed them nectar so they’ll grow flowers from their heads, then pick the petals and use those to “plant flowers” when you go on walks (don’t think too hard about the science of that, it’s Pikmin).

Unlike Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom doesn’t require a lot of your attention while you’re walking around, which really appealed to me as someone who likes to stay fully aware of their surroundings while out and about. That, and the promise of being accompanied wherever I go by a horde of quietly singing Pikmin; I just love those weird little guys.

I typically get everything set up before I leave for a walk, making sure I have plenty of petals ready to plant. Then I hit the ‘Start’ button and mostly leave the app alone until I take a break or am done with my walk, checking in only here and there to see if I’ve passed anything of interest. You can send your Pikmin on expeditions to pick up fruit or destroy mushrooms that’ll pop up on your map, but you don’t need to be actively walking to do this, as they’ll be recorded on a list you can revisit later. Once I’m back home, I love seeing how many flowers I planted versus how many steps I took (I still haven’t figured out the ratio), and delegating different missions for my Pikmin to tackle.

There are frequent events that serve as motivation for reaching certain step count goals or planting a particular number of flowers, including some with community involvement. And, there’s the prospect of collecting themed Pikmin who wear special decor outfits. Pikmin Bloom is currently teasing some upcoming Cheese Decor Pikmin for next month, and I’m going to work extra hard to try and get them. While the app does have the potential to lure players into in-app purchases, they’re by no means necessary to get the full experience. I’ve managed to make it this far without spending any money at all.

Pikmin Bloom has an AR component similar to Pokémon Go’s, so you can photograph your Pikmin in the real world, but this feature can be pretty glitchy. What’s better than that, in my opinion, are the postcards your Pikmin will sometimes bring back from their travels — they’ve been known to photobomb landmarks in these pictures on occasion. If you have friends in the app, you can send postcards to them too. Pikmin Bloom also has a built-in lifelog, where you can choose a picture from your walk and jot down any notes and feelings from your day. It’s a nice thing to look back on once you’ve racked up a lot of adventures.

I’ve tried out plenty of apps over the years that attempt to gamify physical activity, but I almost always lose interest in them pretty quickly. For all its simplicity, Pikmin Bloom adds just the right amount of reward to a walk without distracting from the actual activity. Plus, there are Pikmin.

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Cheyenne MacDonald

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May 26, 2024
2 arrested for attempting to scam Starbucks in 3 states with stolen credit card

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NIANTIC, CT (WFSB) – Two men are accused of trying to purchase and fraudulently return items to Starbucks locations in three states, including in Connecticut.

Antwone Washington, 30, of Far Rockaway , NY, and Dante Shirfield Isaac, 31, of Hartford, face a list of charges, according to East Lyme police.

Police were called to a Starbucks on Flanders Road in Niantic on Thursday just before 8 p.m.

A woman from Delaware reported that someone made unauthorized purchases on her credit card at a Starbucks in East Lyme.

Police found that suspects were also trying to return merchandise from other Starbucks stores. They learned that two suspects had been pulling the same scam at other Starbucks locations in southeastern Connecticut.

Washington and Isaac were taken into custody without incident.

Police said they had a rental vehicle, which contained about $1,800 worth of Starbucks merchandise, along with receipts from stores in Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut.

Washington was charged with fourth-degree larceny, criminal attempt at sixth-degree larceny, illegal use of a credit card, third-degree identity theft, and other charges.

Isaac was charged with criminal attempt at sixth-degree larceny, illegal use of a credit card, third-degree identity theft, second-degree breach of peace and other charges.

Copyright 2022 WFSB. All rights reserved.

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December 2, 2022
Pokemon Go maker Niantic is laying off 230 employees | CNN Business

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New York
CNN
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Niantic, the creator of hit mobile game Pokemon Go, announced it is laying off 230 employees and reorganizing its business as it grapples with new macroeconomic uncertainty.

In a letter to staff announcing the job cuts, Niantic CEO John Hanke said the company is taking other significant actions as well: shuttering its Los Angeles studio, sunsetting its NBA All-World game and halting production on Marvel: World of Heroes.

The privately held company’s breakout hit, Pokemon Go, was among the first mobile games to embrace augmented reality when it launched in 2016.

Hanke went on to state what has become a familiar refrain among tech CEOs announcing layoffs: The company grew too fast during the boom in demand for digital services seen in the early days of the pandemic, and now must adjust to a new environment.

“In the wake of the revenue surge we saw during Covid, we grew our headcount and related expenses in order to pursue growth more aggressively, expanding existing game teams, our AR platform work, new game projects and roles that support our products and our employees,” Hanke wrote.

Eventually, however, “our revenue returned to pre-Covid levels and new projects in games and platform have not delivered revenues commensurate with those investments,” he added.

The reorganization, Hanke said, “will bring expenses and revenue back into line while preserving our core assets and long term upside.”

In his memo to staff on Thursday, Hanke said that the company is now facing an augmented reality market “that is developing more slowly than anticipated, because of technology challenges and because larger players are slowing down their investments in light of the macro environment.”

Still, Hanke emphasized that the company’s “top priority” going forward is to “keep Pokémon GO healthy and growing as a forever game.” He also said that remaining staffers should expect “a more direct and results-based culture.”

Some 211,630 people in the tech industry have been laid off this year alone, according to data tracked by Layoffs.fyi, already surpassing the 164,709 figure recorded in full-year 2022.

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April 12, 2021