All Articles: Pokemon Go

It’s official, Pokemon Go is a blockbuster. Since its release last week, the game’s overwhelming success has caused a complete server overload and a $10 billion bump to Nintendo’s value as a company.

But what does the future hold for Pokemon Go? Speaking to Business Insider, Niantic CEO John Hanke said that we can expect big improvements to come to the game soon, and that includes Pokemon trading.

“[Trading is] kind of a core element,” Hanke says.

While he didn’t go into specifics as to how this would work, Hanke says that trading ties in nicely with one of “Pokemon Go’s” core virtues, which is that it encourages players to interact with each other in both the virtual and real worlds. Swapping Pokémon around would foster those kinds of interactions.

Hanke also confirmed the developer plans to add more activities to the Gyms and PokeStops players can visit, as well as improvements to the game’s augmented reality technology. A global leaderboard is also in the works to see who really can catch ’em all.

Pokemon Go, the Pokemon Company’s augmented reality game that places Pokemon in real world locales, is now available to download for iOS and Android devices.

In Pokemon Go, players around the globe will explore their surroundings to find and catch wild Pokemon hiding in their midst. Some wild Pokemon appear in their native environments—for example, Water-type Pokemon may appear near lakes and oceans. Once players have encountered a Pokemon, they can catch it by using their smartphone’s touchscreen to throw a Poke Ball. Poke Balls and other special items can be found at PokeStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments.

If you’re still not quite sure how Pokemon Go works, a brand new Launch Trailer has been embedded above. And if you need even more information, Nintendo’s Treehouse team provided a very extensive demonstration of the game during this year’s E3 Expo, which is available after the break. (more…)

The Pokemon Company has released several Pokemon games on mobile devices in the recent past. But today’s announcement of Pokemon Go marks the first time that Nintendo is involved in the creation of a mobile Pokemon game… which is fitting as it might be the biggest one yet.

Pokemon Go will be available for iDevices (through the iOS App Store) and Android devices (through Google Play) beginning in 2016. Similar to a digital version of geocaching, Pokemon Go will use GPS positioning to give players directions to Pokemon they can find “in the wild,” along with other players they can trade with or battle.

Development on Pokemon Go is being lead by Niantic, a team that is actually very familiar with the intersection of mobile gaming and augmented reality. They’re probably best known for Ingress, a mobile game that uses the backdrop an alien invasion to bring players together out in the world.

Pokemon Go will be a free-to-play title, but The Pokemon Company and Nintendo will also sell an optional bauble known as the Pokemon Go Plus that can act as the player’s Pokeball. After linking with the game, it will flash and beep when Pokemon are nearby and players can use the device to catch ’em all with the press of a button. And in addition to the involvement of Niantic and Nintendo, Junichi Masuda, Game Director of the Pokemon franchise at Game Freak, will also assist in the development of Pokemon Go to ensure that it’s the best Pokemon experience possible.

“Pokemon 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, CEO of Niantic. “Our partnership with The Pokemon 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.”

I have a feeling this super effective team just might be able to create a game that’ll become very popular with the convention crowd.