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Pokemon GO is Coming to Smartphones in 2016
In collaboration with Nintendo and Niantic, The Pokémon Company International has announced that a new smartphone application is in development entitled Pokémon GO. In an effort to make childhood dreams a reality, Pokemon GO allows you to find and catch Pokemon in real time in the real world. The app will be coming to the iOS App Store and Google Play sometime in 2016. Pokemon GO will be available as a free app and will feature in-app purchases. An optional accessory called the Pokemon GO Plus uses Bluetooth to alert users of nearby Pokemon without having the app open.
Travel between the real world and the virtual world of Pokémon with Pokémon GO for iPhone and Android devices! With Pokémon GO, you'll discover Pokémon in a whole new world—your own! Pokémon GO will use real location information to encourage players to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon.
The Pokémon video game series has used real-world locations such as the Hokkaido and Kanto regions of Japan, New York, and Paris as inspiration for the fantasy settings in which its games take place. Now the real world will be the setting!
The Pokémon video game series has always valued open and social experiences, such as connecting with other players to enjoy trading and battling Pokémon.Pokémon GO’s gameplay experience goes beyond what appears on screen, as players explore their neighborhoods, communities, and the world they live in to discover Pokémon alongside friends and other players.
You can watch the video at the top of the page to better understand the Pokémon GO experience.
A small device called a Pokémon GO Plus will enable Pokémon GO players to enjoy the game even when they’re not looking at their smartphone. The device connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device. Pokémon GO Plus is being developed and manufactured by Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Pokémon GO is being developed by Niantic, Inc. Originally founded by Google Earth co-creator John Hanke as a start-up within Google, Niantic is known for creating Ingress, the augmented reality mobile game that utilizes GPS technology to fuel a sci-fi story encompassing the entire world. Ingress currently has 12 million downloads worldwide.
Niantic, Inc., The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo Co., Ltd., will all contribute to the Pokémon GO project.
Furthermore, Junichi Masuda of Game Freak Inc., the game director of the Pokémon video game series, is also contributing to the project. He is hard at work ensuring that the fun of Pokémon makes its way into this new project, and is also looking to come up with new kinds of gameplay while thinking of ways to connect this project with the main series of Pokémon video games.
Pokémon GO will be available for download at no charge on the App Store and Google Play. In-app purchases will be available.
Look forward to much more information about Pokémon GO leading up to its launch in 2016!
