Life uh… finds a way in WowWee’s newest augmented experience.
Paleontologists have identified labeled over 700 of dinosaurs over the years and you’ve probably seen hundreds of them in your local museum, or several in the Jurassic Park films.
You don’t have to go back to the Jurassic, Triassic or any other dinosaur period to see to see these magnificent creatures brought to life. Hi-tech consumer robotic company WowWee, creators of the 2018 Toy of the Year, Fingerlings, recently launched the Untamed ARena app with 3D toy recognition, bringing their Untamed dinosaurs to life in augmented reality.
Kids looking to have beastly battles with their rad raptor and T-Rex friends will now have the added opportunity to scan their physical Untamed dinosaurs using their mobile device and unleash it in an AR world.
As kids watch their dinosaur transform into a 3D animated replica, they’ll also be able to challenge and be challenged by friends and anonymous players in real time. Players can then see how they rank against others via its built-in leaderboard.
The more kids play, the more they’ll unlock unique combat abilities, rewards, and game features to achieve the ultimate objective of becoming a Master Creature Tamer.
Untamed ARena was created by HappyGiant, creators of HoloGrid: Monster Battle AR and DragonDuel AR. Using HappyGiant’s unique “Full Body AR” technique, the app actually reacts to a players movements so they can dodge, jump, squat, and move around their environment for a fun, physically active experience.
Untamed ARena also features ways for kids to nurture and tame their “Untamed” beasts by playing fetch or feeding them their favorite dino meal: “Big Meat” or “Spicy Chicken”. Be warned: some of these meals the can cause dinosaurs to have – ahem – a little gas; a guaranteed laugh whether you are 8 or 80 yo.
The kids, parents, and gamers I shared the Untamed ARena app with appeared to enjoy the battling aspect, as well as the cheeky fun winks of humor the AR experience brings.
“I like the Untamed ARena, it’s really good because you can battle dinosaurs, swap dinosaur characters and upgrade your dinosaurs too,” said 9-year old AJ, an avid gamer, robot owner, and Untamed fan.
What’s great about the Untamed Arena is that kids have the choice to play in the physical or digital world – the app isn’t actually “required” to have a rad robotic dinosaur experience. However, mixing AR technology into the equation can definitely take playtime to a whole new level.
“There’s a ton of AR tech, but Untamed ARena really stands out as a full-fledged AR Battle platform that’s unlocked by the purchase, enhanced by the toy, and maintains the core brand promises of the Untamed line,” said Davin Sufer, Chief Technology Officer at WowWee.
Untamed is a collection that is affordable and accessible to everyday consumers. After scanning one of the physical Untamed dinosaurs into the app, one child said, “I want to buy every one.” Not a bad response to receive, especially with a realistic price point under $15.00. With the growth of connected play experiences currently on the rise, there’s no surprise an experience such as this is resonating with today’s tech-centric youth. According to Juniper Research, smart toys will have an $18 billion hardware and software market by 2023, up from an estimated $6 billion in 2018.
Untamed ARena is available for free on iOS devices, and will be coming soon to Android. Grab your favorite Untamed dinosaur, download the latest Untamed ARena app, and let the battles begin!
Image Credit: WowWee
