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Published by Cerberus Interactive, Atlas Empires is a location-based multi-player strategy game that takes Augmented Reality (AR) gaming to the next level by fusing the classic strategy experience with location-based technology. Inspired by classics like Civilization, Atlas Empires expands on the beloved empire-building genre by carefully layering AR components. I got the chance to speak with Sami Khan, Cerberus’ CEO and Co-Founder about the game, its innovations, and how his company aimed to appeal not just to the gamers already using AR, but the strategy players on PC too.
In Atlas Empires, you can claim land right where you live and start building. You’ll also discover chests nearby that hold key building materials, such as wood, gold, and stone. You’ll also interact with the card dealer, a fortune-teller NPC who unlocks new troops types to deploy in battle. By evolving location-based games, Khan explains that he and his team looked to make the game playable from your home and on-the-go. While you can explore the real world around you for treasures, you can also explore from your Great Hall, home base, you can also expand your empire by seeking out social outposts and hidden treasures in the world. With a remote matchmaking system, you can even wage war from your home.
Khan also details how the team mapped the entire globe for Atlas Empires, developed a patent-pending in-game currency system that allows you to gain currency by shopping at participating retailers instead of relying on just the traditional methods common in mobile games, and how his own history with strategy games impacted the lens with which him and his team built and designed the game. To hear more about Atlas Empires and about the process of adapting the strategy genre to AR, hit play on the audio above. For more information on Cerberus Interactive and Atlas Empires, head to their website, where you can sign up for the waitlist, and read more about the game and their mission.
Atlas Empires is aiming to be available Summer 2020 on iOS and Android, however, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the team at Cerberus will be adjusting launch if the need arises.
Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles.
