Indian techie creates AR game for Snap Spectacles

Jeetesh Singh, an independent augmented reality (AR) developer and designer, is among the first Indian developers to access Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles—an exclusive AR-powered eyewear for developers. Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is accelerating AR content creation for Spectacles by collaborating with emerging Lens creators like Singh to craft engaging AR experiences.

Singh, a Mumbai-based computer engineer, wanted to introduce a fresh interactive experience by developing a unique, two-handed gesture that is both fun and intuitive. This idea led to the creation of Sign of Doom, a first-person shooter game where players battle aliens emerging from a shattered portal. Different alien types with varying strengths appear at different levels, and players can fire energy blasts by making an Illuminati sign with their hands. Designed specifically for Snap’s Spectacles, the game unfolds entirely in a 3D environment.

Leveraging his expertise with Lens Studio—Snap’s proprietary AR development tool—Singh took on the challenge of building the game from scratch. Lens Studio enables users to create interactive AR Lenses by embedding 3D objects into photos and videos, a skill he had previously honed while designing Snapchat Lenses. With assistance from Snap's developer community, he also refined the game’s user interface. Notably, Singh emphasized that coding experience is not a prerequisite for developing Snapchat Lenses or AR games.

Currently, more than 375,000 creators have utilized Lens Studio to develop over 4 million Lenses. While AR technology is still in its early stages, Snap and the broader tech industry are working toward mainstream adoption. The Spectacles AR glasses remain limited to developers through a $99-a-month subscription, signaling that AR still has a long road ahead before becoming widely accessible. However, Snap is keen on accelerating innovation, anticipating that developers like Singh will create groundbreaking applications that could shift user engagement from smartphones to immersive AR experiences.

Source: Financial Express