Niantic, the creators of Pokemon Go, have unveiled their latest companion app called Campfire, which aims to enhance the social aspect of their existing games. Campfire is designed to help players connect with others, discover local communities, and find active raids nearby. Currently, the app is only compatible with Pokemon Go, but it is likely to expand to Niantic's other augmented reality (AR) games in the future.

The main feature of Campfire is "Team Up," which allows players to easily find and join Raid Battles together with nearby Trainers. This feature aims to facilitate the organization of gameplay and enhance the social experience for players who have relied on disparate community tools in the past.

Niantic faced the challenge of bringing back Pokemon Go players to the outdoors and social-based format they enjoyed before the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, major changes were made to the game to adapt to the situation and retain player engagement. However, as those changes were rolled back, some players were disappointed, and Niantic seeks to re-establish the social element of the game with Campfire.

Campfire is expected to entice players back into the world, encouraging them to use Pokemon Go more frequently. The game's main appeal has always been its AR features, and with advancements in this area, Niantic aims to maintain its market dominance and keep players engaged.

Despite new titles like Peridot making progress, Niantic remains primarily focused on their flagship game and the beloved Pokemon brand, as it continues to be a major success for the company.

Source: Iwan Morris, Staff Writer at PocketGamer