Meow Wolf partners with Pokémon Go creators on augmented reality project

Imagine a portal to Meow Wolf in New Mexico, but not inside the “House of Eternal Return.” A newly announced partnership is working to bring this idea to life.

Meow Wolf Founder and Chief Vision Officer Vince Kadlubek announced on social media this month that the Santa Fe-based company famous for its immersive art exhibits and attractions is collaborating with Niantic Spatial Inc., famously known for creating Pokémon Go, on an extended reality project.

“This is an opportunity with Niantic to really extend our Meow Wolf universe beyond the walls,” said John Lee, Meow Wolf’s chief production and technology officer, in an interview.

Niantic Spatial is an American software company focused on technology. Earlier this year, the company split in two after Savvy Games Group subsidiary Scopley acquired Niantic’s gaming division.

Niantic will bring its tech to this collaboration, and Meow Wolf will bring the content and storytelling, Lee said, but it’ll look pretty different from the Japanese media franchise app that gained massive popularity upon its 2016 creation.

“It’s more about the art,” Lee said. “And the art that we can expose probably will be characters, not necessarily creatures, because that is part and parcel to our Meow Wolf universe. We do tell stories within our exhibition, and so you will feel many of the same characters coming to life via augmented reality.”

The tech will initially take a web-based augmented reality form, like QR codes scattered across the state that people can scan to get a glimpse into the Meow Wolf World. Lee anticipates that will start up in the fall in northern New Mexico.

Then, by the end of the year, Meow Wolf hopes to expand the pre-existing app it offers to include AR, Lee said. That could look like activation and trigger points inside the exhibit, he said.

“Imagine triggering eight changes and show moments in the physical exhibition through the app as a way to continue the storytelling from beyond the wall,” Lee said.

He used the Meow Wolf exhibit in Las Vegas as an example, “Omega Mart,” which gives visitors an option to interact with the exhibit using a physical card equipped with radio frequency identification technology. Visitors can tap the “boop card” on stations with a specific symbol, even activating special events throughout the exhibit.

“Do expect our ability to be much more engaging and interactive in exhibitions to really improve,” Lee said, also cautioning that Meow Wolf doesn’t want guests to be glued to their phones the whole time either. “We want them to touch things. We want them to walk around and explore and learn.”