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Supercell taps Facebook's new AR tech to promote Clash of Clans

It's an interesting example of what a game dev might do with the tools tied into AR Studio, which was announced at the company's annual F8 dev conference as part of its new Camera Effects platform.

Alex Wawro, Contributor

August 15, 2017

1 Min Read
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Finnish game developer Supercell this week rolled out the fruits of its work with Facebook's (still in beta) AR Studio tech: A promotion that asks fans to snap photos and overlay them with the image or visage of the "Builder" character from Clash of Clans.

It's an interesting example of what a game dev might do with the tools tied into AR Studio, which was announced at the company's annual F8 dev conference this year as part of its new Camera Effects platform.

Though the tech is currently limited to smartphone cameras, but Facebook frontman Mark Zuckerberg made it clear in an April interview with TechCrunch that the company's investing in AR tools with an eye towards potential future AR displays like glasses and contact lenses.

And as Facebook exec Leo Olebe reminded Gamasutra earlier this year, Facebook is used by a lot of people (over 2 billion monthly active users) who might appreciate knowing about your game.

"My message to devs is to think about the breadth of the platform you're working with," Olebe told Gamasutra while chatting about Facebook's efforts to woo game devs. "Have an open mind about how your players will be discovering [your game]."

While Supercell's trick is framed as an opportunity for fans to promote and celebrate the game on its 5th anniversary, it's yet unclear what the limits of AR Studio are; devs who are curious to find out could start their quest by registering for the AR Studio beta or visiting the Camera Effects dev hub.

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