A mobile combat game that’s like a cross between Pokémon Go and Call of Duty has the esports space in its sights.
Reality Clash is an Augmented Reality (AR) first-person shooter due to launch on iPhone and Android devices in the third quarter of 2018. It uses the phone’s camera to render an AR view of the world on-screen, with geolocation gameplay that encourages players to have ‘shoot-outs’ with their phones. It’s basically like laser tag in public.
Developer Reality Gaming Group has teamed up with esports app Gizer to offer tournament play within Reality Clash.
The developer has promised players will be able to organise their own esports tournaments, win prizes, generate team sponsorship, chat, trade in-game items using a digital marketplace and maintain a profile identity on the blockchain.
It’s not the first mobile AR FPS on the market – Father.IO launched via Indiegogo to lots of buzz – but it’s the first to specifically target the esports crowd.
While Reality Clash isn’t out until next year, the esports app Gizer is already available on the App store and Google Play store.
Gizer lets gamers use GZR Tokens to gain access to their Gizer Global Gaming Identity, or GG ID, by holding any amount of GZR in their wallet.
The GG ID is a profile created on Gizer, which can be accessed by any game developers who adopt Gizer’s technology through the use of Gizer APIs. GG ID will consist of three parts: a customizable avatar, a gamertag and gaming statistics.
Specific prizes or prize pools in Reality Clash have not yet been mentioned – it seems the game will be focusing at a grassroots/casual level initially.
“We are excited to leverage Gizer to assist in building our fun, competitive community. With their cutting edge platform we can offer Reality Clash players competitive tournaments for prizes and sponsorship.”
Morten Rongaard, Reality Gaming Group
Gizer co-founder Jonathan Kerstein commented: “Reality Clash is the type of envelope-pushing game we’re excited to work with for a number of reasons. Their use of AR in the mobile combat space will immediately broaden the selection of games available to the Gizer community.
“Our partnership will also enable Reality Clash’s existing community to leverage Gizer’s event creation and discovery infrastructure, forming their own vibrant community within the Global Gaming Network from day one.”
Morten Rongaard, Reality Gaming Group co-founder, added: “We are excited to leverage Gizer to assist in building our fun, competitive community. With their cutting edge platform we can offer Reality Clash players competitive tournaments for prizes and sponsorship.
“Gizer offers a social element, a marketplace element, and a profile identity on the blockchain. We look forward to working with the Gizer team, rolling out group tournaments and bringing AR content to their community.”
Reality Gaming Group recently hired the co-founder of indie studio Fiddlesticks and BAFTA Breakthrough Brit awardee Henry Hoffman to work on the game’s underlying technology framework.
The company has also expanded its development hub in the Philippines, which is charged with building Reality Clash’s in-game weapons line-up. The blockchain-based ‘Armory’ trading platform is being handled by the original brain behind Reality Clash, co-founder Morten Rongaard.
More info can be found on the Reality Clash website.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
