‘Pokemon GO’ Release Date Update: Game To Be Announced At GDC Conference
Niantic, the developer behind much talked about Pokemon GO, is set speak about the release date of the game at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California. It has been reported that Niantic CEO John Hanke will detail more about the game at the conference set to take place in March.
Expect to see more of Pokemon Go at GDC 2016. https://t.co/cslBYF0fT4 pic.twitter.com/8n9dAj9ZMb
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) February 4, 2016
As fans await the release of the augmented reality game Pokemon GO, which is said to be available for free on mobile, no exact dates have been revealed to date. It was previously reported that the game would come during the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Pokemon Company.
“Niantic’s newest game, Pokemon Go, ups the challenge of real world gaming design, taking a beloved franchise and setting its hundreds of brightly-coloured monsters loose across the globe, adding a new Bluetooth wearable device created by Nintendo to the mix.”
GDC officially announced on their website last week that Hanke is holding a discussion on everything about Pokemon GO. It’s also been reported that the participants who sign up for the event will be first ones to know about the interactive and engaging dynamics of the game.
“Over the last three years, Niantic, Inc. has been defining the genre of Real World gaming, using smartphones and tablets to connect the digital world to the physical world,” the description reads on GDC’s official website.
Niantic had revealed no details regarding the game until now, and with the big reveal at GDC, the release date of Pokemon GO should be announced. Similarly, speculations and rumors that were previously made should surely find an answer in the big event.
It was also rumored that the Super Bowl ad was targeted to promote the game and tease the release date. However, no mentions of Pokemon GO or Pokemon Z was made.
“Pokemon Go is poised as an innovation in the mobile gaming field. It aims to bridge the digital world and the physical world with the help of its companion device, the Go Plus, which will come out on the date of the game’s release,” Yibada reports.
The game is said to be available for free on both Android and iOS devices, and players can also connect a wearable to the app on their gaming device via Bluetooth. “Catching the Pokemon” is what the device is basically said to work for with the latest technology, providing a real Pokemon experience for gamers.
“This new wearable is called Pokemon Go Plus. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and flashes its built-in LED light to notify you of nearby players as well as virtual Pokemon you can catch. For example, say you’re on your morning commute on the subway. Pokemon Go Plus will ping your wrist to let you know that a virtual Charizard is closely located. After capturing, you’ll be able to train and battle with that new character,” reports 9to5Mac regarding the wearable app.
The details regarding the wearable were detailed in a press conference, which can be seen here.
Niantic believes that Pokemon GO will open doors to several other augmented reality games.
“The next evolution of augmented reality and real-world mobile gameplay experiences” that could “bring new games to the market,” says Niantic about Pokemon GO.
Together with Pokemon GO, developers are working on a similar game, Pokemon Z, but have been silent regarding the progress so far. Said to be still in the developing stages, the game is rumored to be revealed either at the end of the year or by early 2017.
[Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Nintendo via Getty Images]
