Ghostbusters World in the making: Pokemon Go akin AR game to clash with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Sony Pictures is planning to release a new Augmented Reality (AR) mobile phone game called Ghostbusters World this year and it is currently under development. The official trailer of the game has hinted that it will involve catching characters like Nintendo and Niantic's viral game Pokemon Go that was released in 2016.

The Japanese company is expected to make a demo of its upcoming Ghostbusters World AR game available at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC 2018) which will start on Monday, February 26, in Barcelona. We will come to know more about the game by then.

Well, the new AR game has been described as "an all-new state-of-the-art augmented reality game" with the latest features in AR and mobile technologies. It will make "players to battle and capture hundreds of ghosts from all dimensions of the franchise, including the films, TV shows, comic books, theme parks, and video games" and "feature new and unique ghosts to the franchise," said the description in the YouTube video.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Consumer Products has collaborated with Ghost Corps and publisher FourThirtyThree Inc. for the Ghostbusters World AR game, which is currently under development. The developers are expected to release it at the upcoming Game Developers Conference, which will be held from March 19 to 23 in San Francisco.

Interestingly, Nintendo and Niantic, the maker of Pokemon Go, and WB Games San Francisco are making yet another AR game called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite inspired by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. The game website said that it will use the latest "augmented reality technology to reveal the magic all around us" and "explore real-world neighborhoods and cities to discover mysterious artifacts, learn to cast spells, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters along the way!"

AR game was popularized by Pokemon Go in 2016. It used real-time geospatial technologies and Google's map data to allow mobile phone gamers to catch virtual characters in real life environment.

Ghostbusters World Official Trailer: