Indian Developer Creates AR Game for Snap’s Spectacles

Freelance AR Developer Jeetesh Singh is one of the first Indian developers to get access to Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles, an AR-powered pair of glasses designed for developers.

Snap Inc. the parent company of Snapchat, aims to speed up AR content development for its Spectacles by working with young Lens creators like Singh. By using the existing Lens Studio ecosystem, the company hopes to make it easier to bring AR Lenses to the glasses.

Singh explained his approach, saying, I wanted to create a unique interaction, focusing on a new experience that engages both hands and introduces an innovative, user-friendly gesture. I started by developing the interaction, then built a story around it, and finally created the game.

Singh, a computer engineer, shared his journey, saying, At first, I was creating small experiences on my Spectacles but struggled to find a concrete idea that could be developed into a complete application. However, when I came up with this game and envisioned the experience I wanted to build, I felt it would be engaging and had the potential to attract players.

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Sign of Doom: An Immersive AR Shooter Developed for Snap’s Spectacles

According to Singh, Sign of Doom is a first-person shooter game where a shattered portal unleashes an alien invasion across the universe. Players control mystical signs with their hands to fend off attacking aliens, which vary in type and strength across different levels.

Making an Illuminati sign with the hand releases energy blasts, helping players progress through levels by scoring higher. The game features a global leaderboard for competitive play. With a Dragon Ball Z-inspired feel, Sign of Doom is designed specifically for Snap’s Spectacles AR glasses, offering a fully immersive 3D experience.

Singh explained the key difference between creating Lenses for Snapchat and developing immersive content for Spectacles, saying, It’s quite similar to making Snapchat Lenses, but the main challenge is handling 3D interactions with your hands since there are no controllers. Unlike a 2D screen where you tap to interact, here you engage with objects as if they physically exist. It’s important to focus on the three-dimensional aspect of the Spectacles to enhance the experience.

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Developing an AR Game from Scratch

His experience with Lens Studio played a crucial role in tackling the challenge of building an AR game from scratch for Spectacles. Lens Studio, Snap’s proprietary AR development tool, enables users to create Lenses by placing interactive 3D objects in photos and videos. Singh’s previous work with Snapchat Lenses helped him seamlessly transition into developing for Spectacles.

Singh shared that it took him a while to understand the type of user interface players expect when engaging with a futuristic, fully 3D game. In games like GTA or Counter-Strike, the UI is screen-based, but this time, I had to create a 3D interface and step into a new dimension,he explained. Admitting that gaming wasn’t his forte, he added, I’m not a gamer, so I needed help from others.

The game was developed by Singh on his own, but he did take some help from Snap community members, who assisted him in designing the user interface. My little cousin was drawing some characters for me, so I took those characters as my reference and built them in Blender from scratch.

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Breaking into AR Development with Snap’s Lens Studio

Singh said one doesn’t need coding knowledge to develop Lenses for Snapchat or an AR game like this. This means anyone can get into making Lenses for Snapchat or take up development for AR experiences for Spectacles, but the prerequisite is a bit of creativity and a willingness to learn.
Snap says there are already over 375,000 Lens creators using Lens Studio, who have built nearly 4 million Lenses over the years.

For Android  and iOS, you have to hard-code. But when it comes to AR software specifically, it’s like building any other filter or Lens. It doesn’t require any programmatic background because it supports no-code development. You also have Gen AI to help you while you’re developing, which makes it comparatively much easier. You just have to learn a web-based language, which is JavaScript, and then you’re good to go. So, it’s relatively much easier to build a Snapchat Lens compared to iOS or Android apps.

When creators like Singh develop a Lens for Snapchat or content for Spectacles, it undergoes a review process by Snap before receiving approval. We don’t need to pitch or seek permission from Snap before starting development. Since we have access to Spectacles, we simply create the experiences we want, ensuring they comply with policies.

He also mentioned that Snapchat offers funding opportunities for developers.You can come up with an idea and apply for funding through Snapchat’s portal. If your project aligns with their goals, you may receive financial support.

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