You know what Niantic could really use? An MMOARG about “caring for, raising, and breeding adorable one-of-a-kind creatures in your hands.” You know, you could take your phone around into the world and collect digital critters and do fun stuff with them! What’s that? Niantic already has a game like that in its collaboration with Nintendo, Pokemon Go, the biggest MMOARG in the world? Oh. Anyway, meet Peridot.
“The core game loop is caring for and nurturing your Peridot, growing it from a baby to an adult. To do this, you can pet, play with, and train your Peridot – and as you do, it gains experience points and grows. […] Each Peridot is completely unique. Just like humans, they are all different in various ways – they can differ in their visual appearance, their personality traits, their likes and dislikes, and their abilities. Each Peridot has its own unique DNA. The breeding system, which is patterned after the way DNA works in real life, blends the best of hand-created assets and procedural generation, creating a stunning array of unique creatures. […] The game encourages players to explore the world, and one of the main mechanisms here is a desire system, where your creature will have desires it wants you to help it fulfill. This is a fun and compelling way to drive players to explore, exercise, and engage in real-world social interactions. For example, your creature may have a desire to go for a short walk, visit a neary point-of-interest, or to eat a blue tomato. By completing your Dot’s desires, you’ll help them grow.”
“Soft launch beta testing” begins as of this month in “select markets” on iOS and Android devices. Get ready to hear people mispronounce “peridot” for the next decade!
