Mobile game producer Niantic has acquired Sensible Object, a UK-based connected board game creator backed by e-commerce group Amazon and game developer NCSoft, for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 2014, Sensible Object designs and sells interactive board games such as Beasts of Balance, a tabletop game that connects wooden building blocks to a tablet device. It launched a trivia-based board game powered by Amazon’s voice technology system Alexa in 2018.
The company’s artists and engineers will work with Niantic following the deal to develop real-world augmented reality-based games.
Sensible Object received $3.2m in a June 2018 round featuring Amazon’s Alexa Fund, NCSoft, March Capital Partners and London Venture Partners that increased its overall funding to $5m. It graduated from Amazon’s Alexa Accelerator in 2017.
Niantic CEO John Hanke said: “We are excited about Sensible Object joining Niantic as it significantly advances our efforts in developing a wide range of gaming experiences that bring the physical and digital world closer together.
“The team’s deep roots in large-scale outdoor activations in particular is very complementary to the many Niantic real world events we host around the world to engage with our loyal players.”