A couple of months ago Google held its annual developers conference, Google IO 2023. As part of the event, the company revealed further ARCore developments including a new tool called Geospatial Creator. This has allowed Google and videogame partner TAITO to build a new game based on the latter’s iconic franchise Space Invaders. They’ve just announced pre-registrations for Space Invaders: World Defense on Android are open, with a launch expected very soon.
Revealed on the Google AR & VR Twitter account alongside a new trailer, if you’re on Android you can pre-register for the game here. An iOS version of Space Invaders: World Defense is also on route but there’s no pre-registration just yet. As for an actual release date, Google and TAITO simply say the game is “launching soon”.
Space Invaders: World Defense
In a similar vein to Niantic’s Lightship AR platform – which runs Pokémon GO – Google’s new Geospatial Creator for ARCore gives developers the ability to anchor digital content on locations worldwide, for all players to see.
Space Invaders: World Defense will enhance the 1978 arcade classic by turning it into a city-scale augmented reality (AR) game. 45 years on, the launch will mark a fitting return where players can wander their neighbourhoods blasting aliens out of the sky.
“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!” the synopsis explains.
For the first time, the Twitter trailer offers a glimpse at the type of gameplay you can expect. With your spacecraft at the bottom of the phone screen, enemies appear out of portals for you to shoot. So expect to see plenty of people pointing their phones skyward. There also seem to be additional mini-games/side missions that play like a normal game rather than in AR.
More details are expected as the summer launch window approaches.
This isn’t the only TAITO classic to get an immersive makeover. Operation Wolf returns, coming to VR headsets in July.
Are you interested in running around your town playing Space Invaders? Let us know in the comments below.