- Acquisition expands the AR opportunity for developers and brands with web-based tools for creating experiences that work on mobile devices - no app required
- Niantic now offers one of the most complete sets of AR tools to build the real-world metaverse
- 8th Wall platform to remain standalone as part of Niantic Lightship
Today, we’re announcing we’ve acquired 8th Wall, the world’s leading WebAR development platform, and welcoming the team to Niantic. 8th Wall pioneered web-based augmented reality (WebAR), equipping developers, companies and agencies with a complete set of tools to create engaging and interactive AR experiences that are easily accessible and work on mobile devices — no app required. Joining forces with Niantic, 8th Wall will empower more Lightship developers to realize their visions for AR in the real-world metaverse. Here’s a glimpse of what the possibilities might look like:
From the beginning, Niantic set out to build AR technology that enables people to connect to others, discover new places, and play with friends in the real world. To make this happen, we’re fusing the physical and the digital by creating the world’s most precise 3D map of the planet. With our Lightship platform, launched globally in November last year, we’re offering all developers the world’s largest immersive canvas to bring their creations to life on a massive scale. 8th Wall, which is our largest acquisition to date, greatly complements our vision for Lightship, and we plan to expand our developer platform tools with their proven WebAR technology.
Since 2018, the 8th Wall WebAR development platform has been used by developers to create over 50,000 experiences, including thousands for top-tier brands. 8th Wall supports billions of devices globally including 5 billion smartphones across iOS and Android as well as computers and AR/VR headsets. The 8th Wall platform has been used by agencies and creative studios to create AR activations for well-known brands from companies across industry verticals, including Pepsi, Microsoft, Nike, Porsche, Netflix, Heineken, LEGO, General Mills, Dior, Universal Pictures, Westfield, Verizon and more. Many of these experiences are featured on the 8th Wall Discovery Hub.
As the way people experience AR continues to evolve, we look forward to working together to create the best planet-scale platform technologies for more shared experiences grounded in the real-world.
For 8th Wall’s shared perspective on the news, please see this blog post from 8th Wall CEO and founder Erik Murphy-Chutorian.
- Brian McClendon, SVP of Engineering, Mapping and AR.