Fans are excited over Nintendo's upcoming augmented reality game. Will the highly-anticipated "Pokémon GO" release date be scheduled after the field test results arrive?
Last year, IGN reported that the "Pokémon GO" release date is slated for this year. The mobile game will be available fpr download for free on the App Store and Google Play.
A separate Bluetooth device, named "Pokémon GO" Plus, will be developed and manufactured by Nintendo. This will give notifications to players about nearby events. It can also be used to catch Pokémon with the press of a button.
Niantic, known for its augmented reality mobile game "Ingress," is developing "Pokémon GO." The company was initially founded within Google but spun out last year.
"He is hard at work ensuring that the fun of Pokémon makes its way into this new project," The Pokémon Company said about director Junichi Masuda. "[He] 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."
There have been no official announcements regarding the specific "Pokémon GO" release date yet. Hopefully, it will be available after the field test results have been collected.
According to The Verge, nine minutes of "Pokémon GO" gameplay footage has been leaked online. The video was taken from the Australian field test of the game.
The clip showed the player selecting and customizing an avatar. Afterwards, the character then took to the streets and captured its first Pokémon.
Unlike previous games in the series, "Pokémon GO" does not give players a Pokémon buddy at the beginning. Players will need to catch the creatures by "hitting them in the right spot with Pokéballs" from the inventory.
The goal is to collect enough Pokémon in order to battle gym leaders in the game. "There's none of the battle strategy we've come to expect from Game Boy and DS versions of the series, with both Pokémon simply repeating attacks automatically at each other," the website wrote.
