We’re excited to announce the Niantic Studio Real-World Gaming Challenge, a brand-new opportunity for developers to create immersive, real-world games using Niantic Studio’s cutting-edge tools. Running from October 24th to December 9th, this challenge invites developers to push the boundaries of location-based gaming with the help of Gaussian splats and Niantic VPS technology. With a $15,000 prize pool up for grabs, this challenge is the perfect stage for you to showcase your creativity and technical expertise.

This challenge will ask you to build with either Gaussian splats or Niantic VPS in Niantic Studio. Niantic VPS allows you to anchor AR content with centimeter-level precision across 600,000+ VPS-activated locations worldwide. With Niantic Scaniverse, you can also scan and activate custom locations, bringing your AR creations to life in real-world environments.

With VPS and Studio’s web gaming engine, you can now take your AR experiences further by:

• Adding dynamic elements like animation, lighting, and physics 
• Creating persistent experiences that evolve as users return to the same location 
• Build real-time interactive gameplay that responds to a user’s environment 

Prizes Totaling $15,000

We’re celebrating creativity, technical mastery, and innovation with an array of exciting prizes, including the following:

• (2x) Real-World Splat Game Grand Prize - $2,000 each: Awarded to games that make exceptional use of Gaussian splats in an immersive real-world setting.
• (2x) Real-World VPS Game Grand Prize - $2,000 each: Given to the most engaging, location-based games using VPS.
• (2x) Lifestyle and Culture Game - $1,000 each: For games that creatively explore lifestyle or cultural experiences through AR.
• (2x) Spatial Learning Game - $1,000 each: Recognizes the best educational game that leverages AR for immersive learning experiences.
• (2x) Health and Wellness Game - $1,000 each: Awarded to games that use AR to promote physical activity, fitness, or well-being.
• (4x) Honorable Mentions - $250 each: Celebrating notable submissions that impressed our judges.

Kickstart Your Journey

The challenge kicks off with our Info Session on October 29th, where we’ll cover the challenge requirements, judging criteria, and how to use the powerful tools within Niantic Studio. Following that, be sure to join our Niantic Studio Workshop: Bringing the Real World to Your WebXR Game on November 12th, which will dive into how you can incorporate real-world elements into your games using Niantic VPS. Finally, our UX Unleashed: Crafting User-Centric Game Experiences event on November 19th will focus on designing immersive, player-centric experiences.

Judging Criteria 

Submissions will be evaluated based on four key criteria:

• VPS & Gaussian splat use: How well does the experience incorporate VPS-activated locations or Gaussian splats? 
• Gameplay Innovation: Does the game introduce unique ideas or innovative approaches to gameplay?
• Niantic Mission: Does the game encourage exploration and interaction with the real world?
• Completeness: Is the submission polished and ready to play, or is it still a prototype?