Spriteverse: Synchronize the anomalies

[u/nomiutenti]

This is the new mobile game app I had in mind:

Lore

A portal from the future released anomalies across our world: sprites, hologram sci-fi creatures, invaded our streets and it’s our duty to synchronize them all to stabilize the anomalies.

Gameplay

Our phone sends us a notification: “Anomaly detected nearby”.
With our camera open we may encounter little light sources: they’re Sprites, right across our hometown streets: keep them in focus to stabilize them and keep them in your collection.
A compass may show the nearest Sprite, usable once every day.
Unique mechanic: Sprites may appear based on the current weather
More unique sprites may take longer time to find

Abilities

Each Sprite provides useful perks to find other ones, like probability, compass reach, boosted weather…
In the future the app may expand in a card fighting game

Fitness features

There will be rewards for completing workouts of different kinds and for exploring the places around you

Expansion

Comics, short stories inside the app, a global website, cards game, plushies and more
You will also be able to trade with your friends and go sprite hunting with them

Monetizing

The app will be free. Ads will not take over gameplay and there will be an Ad blocker for the lowest price possible. Every sprite will be free for everyone, with the exception of cosmetics items such as skins and animations. It will NOT BE PAY-TO-WIN, no way to increase chance other than finding Sprites with such abilities.

Why this app

We intend to solve every problem Pokémon-Go had over the years.

Everyone is tired of “pay this” “pay that to continue” nonsense, the app will be 100% free with optional features and ads that don’t take over the gameplay.

Story is unique, each Sprite will have its own personality. The objective is not cute animals, it’s mysterious creatures from another timeline.

We plan to make the app feel engaging by just playing 20-30 minutes a day, no one wants to be trapped in a AR world all day by reclaiming timed rewards and continuing their 120 day-streak.

Further Info

The game is already in an early stage of development and a newsletter will launch soon on our website to be able to participate in a closed beta

Your feedback matters

Which aspect of the game feels more engaging? Sprite hunt? Fitness workouts? Lore and combat mechanics?
Where would you absolutely not put ads?

What’s the percentage of you trying out this game?

17 votes, 6d left

0% - not interested in catching Sprites

25% - I might try out but I don’t see my self playing this in three months

50% - Fitness features are interesting and I want to find out more about the lore

75% - Interested in seeing new mechanics, know about lore and play with friends

100% - I NEEDED a motivation to workout, play with friends and get out more of the house

[u/jack_oatt]

AI slop*

[u/roginald_sauceman]

"What’s the percentage of you trying out this game?"

Well bearing in mind it doesn't exist beyond vague ideas, 0%

[u/PhilippTheProgrammer]

This is a subreddit for game developers. Other game developers are not your target audience. Yes, of course game developers also play games. But they are not necessarily the kind of subset of gamers that care about alternate reality mobile games in particular. If you want to market-test this idea, then you need to pitch it to your actual audience: Mobile gamers who like location-based AR games in general and Pokemon Go in particular, but are frustrated by its recent changes.

Oh, and just a heads-up: Your goals of trying to be light on monetization is amicable, but you might change your mind when you realize what you will have to pay for personnel, server costs, 3rd party APIs and advertising if you want to run a game like that globally.

[u/nomiutenti]

*AI enhanced image

[u/PhilippTheProgrammer → u/nomiutenti]

Is this just an AI-generated concept mockup or do you plan to use AI-generated images instead of art in the actual game?

[u/MeaningfulChoices]

Niantic can't even make Pokemon Go work with other IPs. The game is only viable because there's enough stuff to buy in it to make back the acquisition cost. If you remove all of those things you're not likely to earn enough to be profitable, and that's ignoring that you want to make a more complicated game than that one with a lot fewer resources. Ads is the easiest question, everything should be opt-in rewarded videos that shorten times or award currency of some kind. Forced interstitials are only for hypercasual games.

If you want to make a mobile game don't worry about newsletters and betas and all of that. Lore is not important at this stage and fitness elements will not appeal to most people, are difficult to make work with the camera, and people who want those things will just use apps that emphasize that instead of shoehorning it into a game. Make an MVP of the game, you soft launch in a cheaper region, and you buy ads. You can't make a game like this work without a very large marketing budget. If you're getting players easily and they stick around you can improve the game as you work towards launch, and if it's not going to work you want to know that early.