Niantic partners with Hasbro to launch Transformers: Heavy Metal in 2021
/Niantic has partnered with Hasbro on Transformers: Heavy Metal, a new augmented reality mobile game now in the works.
Transformers: Heavy Metal will allow players to battle the robots in an AR street environment, similar to Pokemon GO's raid battle system. Development is being undertaken by Seattle-based studio Very Very Spaceship, which will utilise Niantic's Lightship platform.
During an interview with Bloomberg discussing the collaboration, Niantic CEO John Hanke confirmed that the previously announced Pikmin AR and Catan: World Explorers games will release later this year. Both titles are currently in soft launch.
It was further stated that Niantic has about a dozen games in active development and it has been speaking with potential buyers about an acquisition. Namely, a conversation with Microsoft was supposedly in discussions at one point, though the latter seemed to have shown no interest in pursuing a deal (according to the Bloomberg report).