MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Tech giant Google is planning a revolutionary new feature named “Fog of War” to their Maps app, according to a product announcement video from executives including CEO Sundar Pichai.
“With Google Maps people can search and view their next big trip, walk to the park, or even spy on your former employer with street view. The possibilities are endless,” said Pichai.
“But we want Google Maps to be something even bigger. The video game industry is rapidly expanding, but we don’t want to step on any toes by creating our own games. Instead we aim to make everyday life feel like a video game.”
Lorraine Twohill, Chief Marketing Officer at Google, then explained the thought process behind the new feature.
“People that play video games find that getting from point A to point B can be trivial and boring. Most people that use Google Maps will also agree that the app just shows you a destination with surrounding landmarks, and it feels like an endless fetch quest,” said Twohill.
“Our Maps app has helped people get around since 2005, but if someone knows where they’re going they don’t even look at the app. We figured, why not add an element of surprise? With the launch of Maps 2.0, we’ll now save every location a user has ever visited and cover everywhere else with fog, so every day users can feel like adventurers.”
The new feature is currently in the beta phase, but some testers voiced concerns online, including Bill Drake.
“As a big fan of Silent Hill I was very excited to try this feature. Unfortunately during my first test run I was driving to work and thought I was taking a shortcut but I was actually driving through someone’s farm,” said Drake.
“I’ve told Google about that but they’re fully committed to launch the Fog of War feature by the end of this quarter. Issues aside, it’s a great feature. You can be out grocery shopping and discover a new dive bar, or suddenly drive through a waterfall on your way to work.”
According to reporters who were present at the announcement, Google is changing Maps’ tagline from “Getting people from point A to point B” to “figure it out yourself.”
