The Pokémon Company, developer Niantic, and Nintendo announced their collaboration on a new project called Pokémon GO. This mobile game will encourage fans to look for Pokémons in the real world. Pokémon GO will be available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play in 2016.
In the past, the Pokémon game franchise has used real world locations like the Japan’s Hokkaido and Kanto, as well as New York and Paris, as inspiration for its fantasy settings. In a new “twist, Pokémon GO will let players catch, trade, and battle in the real world by utilizing location information.
Junichi Masuda, game director of the Pokémon video game series at GAME FREAK inc. will be contributing to the project in order to ensure that players finds the same experience in Pokémon GO that they have been enjoying with Pokémon games over the years and also include new features.
“Our challenge was to develop a great game for smart phone devices that expressed the core values of Pokémon,†said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company. “Pokémon GO is the answer to that challenge.â€
“Pokémon GO is a wonderful combination of Niantic’s real world gaming platform and one of the most beloved franchises in popular culture,†said John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, Inc. “Our partnership with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo is an exciting step forward in real-world gaming and using technology to help players discover the world and people around them.â€
Players will be able to enhance their Pokémon GO experience even when they are looking away from their smartphones by using a unique device called Pokémon GO Plus. By pressing a button on Pokémon GO Plus, simple in-game actions like catching a Pokémon can be performed. Pokémon GO Plus is being developed by Ninntendo and will connect to smartphones via Bluetooth and by flashing and vibrating, will notify players about events like the appearance of a Pokémon nearby.