Google announced early yesterday that Ingress, the company’s innovative augmented reality game developed by “in-house startup” Niantic Labs, has been launched on Apple’s iOS, having previously only been available for Android.
Ingress engages players from all over the globe by having them utilize their smartphones in order to complete missions that require them to travel between locations collecting a kind of virtual energy, “Exotic Matter” or XM. This energy is then used for “portals,” which are typically associated with public landmarks and locations such as museums, galleries, and monuments.
How it works is simple: when players first download the app they have the choice of associating with one of two factions: the controlling “Enlightened” or the anarchic “Resistance”. One believes the energy will benefit mankind, and the other believes the energy should be destroyed. After that, it’s basically up to the player to carry out their team’s missions or objectives.
Ingress was developed by the same team behind Google Earth, Maps and Street View. The team kept the game in beta for almost a year (starting in late 2012) until the game was fully released in December of last year. The free iOS version is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and is cross-platform play compatible with the Android version.
If you haven’t read our interview with Google’s Niantic Labs yet, check it out now.
Source: Polygon
