Despite the popularity of Pokémon GO, augmented reality gaming hasn't quite caught on yet. The makers of the popular World of Tanks game aren't taking a shot at Niantic's crown yet, but they are looking at giving spectators a new way to watch the game.
The game's maker, Wargaming.net, previewed the prototype World of Tanks AR Spectate at gamescon 2018 last week. The app renders games in real time with PC-level graphics, allowing for maximum realism for the viewer.
Currently, the app is only being demonstrated at public events, and there are no announced plans to release the app as a standalone product for consumers.
Wargaming has previously dabbled in bringing World of Tanks to augmented reality via the World of Tanks AR Experience for iOS and Android.
The app, which enables users to visualize life-sized tanks in their physical surroundings via ARKit and ARCore, served as a means to hype up the launch of World of Tanks 1.0.
With the one-year anniversary of the official release of ARKit right around the corner, a true mobile AR gaming contender has yet to emerge. However, with the emerging popularity of video games as a spectator sport, game developers can now give fans an opportunity to view the action in an immersive environment from multiple and unique angles.
Looking forward, with multiplayer capabilities and spectator mode support coming to ARKit 2.0 arriving this fall, and Google's Cloud Anchors multiplayer platform already available, developers will have more tools at their disposal to create gaming experiences worthy of playing and viewing in augmented reality.
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Cover image via World of Tanks/YouTube
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