Augmented reality game Ingress to get official launch on December 14

Google’s pet project augmented reality smartphone game, Ingress, finally seems to be on its way out of beta. The game’s developers announced over Google+ that Ingress will be leaving open beta on December 14. The release is set to coincide with the end of the 9-week 39-city player event Operation #13MAGNUS.

The first step towards leaving the beta already seems to be underway, as a recent update removed the requirements of a beta invitation for users to be able to play. Those who get to level 5 before the official launch of the game will be getting a special badge: The Founder medal.

Leaving beta next month

Ingress goes for a dystopian cyberpunk theme with an ancient war between hidden factions thrown in for good measure. The game has players join one of two factions — the Resistance or the Enlightened — and go to various real-world landmarks to complete objectives.

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The game is completely online with a social aspect, much like a massively multiplayer online game. It allows players to track the progress of other players from around the world and communicate with them using an Intelligence app.

According to the description of the game, players will need to work together to complete objectives. Cooperation across neighbourhoods, cities, and countries is required to achieve victory.

Ingress is currently up for grabs for free on Google Play. Sadly, it is Android-exclusive for now, but Niantic may roll it out on other operating systems in due time.