Peridot's global release will arrive on May 9.
Niantic, the company behind popular augmented-reality games such as Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom, is set to release its latest creation, Peridot, on May 9 for both iOS and Android.
The game, announced last April, is Niantic's take on virtual pets and requires players to breed and nurture their Tamagotichi-like pets called 'Dots' to adulthood.
According to creative director David Hollin, Peridot is an immersive game featuring magical creatures that eat, sleep, play with toys, explore their environment, and develop unique personalities. You can even take them for walks outside, taking photos of them as you go.
The game promises an "infinite number" of different Peridot breeds, with players able to combine genes from different parents to create unique looks for their pets, including metallic, fuzzy, goat-horned, big-eared, and bushy-tailed. There are also baseline archetypes like cheetahs, dragons, and unicorns.
Niantic made its name with the widely successful Pokémon Go, but its recent releases, such as Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Catan: World Explorerers, have failed to capture the imagination.
The company will hope that Peridot reverses that trend, and maybe it will. It's not hard to imagine we might soon see virtual pet owners taking their Dots for walks around the neighborhood, like in 2016 when Pokémon Go spawned millions of real-life trainers.
We'll find out on May 9.
Peridot Pre-Registration Open
In addition to the release date announcement, Niantic has also revealed that pre-registrations for Peridot are now open on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
Those who pre-register and play the game within the first two weeks of availability will receive a special party hat cosmetic for their Dots.