Google’s New AR Shooter Is ‘Space Invaders’ In Real Life

1978 shooter Space Invaders is one of the most iconic arcade games of all time and instantly recognisable for its straightforward gameplay. You simply shoot aliens who are lined up in a Tetris-like pattern while your score racks up with each kill. It’s always been the perfect game so it’s worth paying attention when Google hooks up with Japanese games company Taito for an augmented reality version of the classic.

Using Google’s ARCore Geospatial API and Streetscape Geometry API, the company has worked on Space Invaders: World Defense AR as a game that combines AR and 3D renderings so users can play Space Invaders quite literally anywhere. Think of it as like Niantic’s forward-thinking Pokemon Go, which used a smartphone camera and everyday environments to bring Pokemon to life in real time.

Space Invaders: World Defense will draw on much of what made Pokemon Go so novel when it was first released in July 2016. Gameplay will be customised based on location, nearby landmarks, time and weather, turning entire cities into virtual playgrounds infested with blocky aliens.

Google is also promising to “connect multi-generations of players” which kind of implies we’ll be getting some sort of multiplayer or competitive aspect to Space Invaders: World Defense.

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The official description of Space Invaders: World Defense reads as follows:

“For the last 45 years, SPACE INVADERS have tried to conquer the world. They are back and this time coming from another dimension. As one of Earth’s top pilots, you must use your spaceship’s advanced technology and your expert skills to travel between dimensions and defend the planet. The future of the Earth is in your hands! This unique, immersive game is powered by ARCore and Google’s Geospatial Creator to create a real-world playground in AR and 3D. Enjoy the classic gameplay in a whole new dimension: explore, find, and defeat SPACE INVADERS in your neighborhood!”

Space Invaders: World Defense will launch later this year.