Niantic's Campfire social app will soon begin global rollout
Beginning with Pokémon Go players.
Pokémon Go maker Niantic's new social app will begin its global rollout "in the coming days".
Campfire, as it's known, will allow users to find other players in local communities, make friends, and send group messages.
In the absence of social features in its games, Campfire will act as a companion app.
The app was previously announced back in May with the aim to release over the summer. That's still the case, with Niantic opening up the app to all its games and players throughout the summer, beginning with select groups of Pokémon Go players.
It follows a beta test with Ingress Agents over the last several months.
"Campfire gives the Niantic community a new way to experience the joy of real-world gameplay, meetups and events, providing a way for people to discover creations that make the world a magical and entertaining place," reads a press release.
The app will display a dynamic map of your area, with game experiences and activities from friends and other players dropped in locations nearby.
In addition, Pokémon Go trainers can share raid locations with friends in messages, or can add a "Flare" to a location to encourage other trainers to meet up.
"We're excited to see the ways you use Campfire to foster the kinds of real-world connections that have always been at the heart of what Niantic does," said Niantic. "Stay tuned as Campfire rolls out to your region over the coming months."