The Daily BuzzSoon, you'll be able to find Pokemon in the real world
It's been nearly 20 years since many of us decided we wanted to grow up to become Pokemon Masters, and while I'm still working on achieving that dream, a new Pokemon game may bring us that one step closer.
The Pokemon Company, in partnership with Nintendo and Niantic, have announced a new game coming to iOS and Andriod in 2016: Pokemon GO. Using your phone's camera and GPS technology, players seek out Pokemon in real-world environments by holding up their phone. If you're in the right spot, a Pokemon will appear on screen, and you can catch them using virtual Poke Balls, the team explained in their announcement.
The name you may be least familiar with behind this game is Niantic; they've got a track record for this kind of thing, having released Ingress, another game that uses augmented reality, in 2012.
If you're in need of even more Pokemon gear (and really, who isn't?), the Pokemon Go Plus will also be released with a smartwatch-style wristband. When a wild Pokemon is near, the Bluetooth-connected band will flash and vibrate, alerting them to capture the Pokemon.
There's clearly an appetite for this kind of game: aside from the usual people who have been loyal to this game franchise for years, there's a good chance all those who have fallen off the bandwagon as the list of Pokemon has swelled to 721 will check it out, too. Need proof?
When Google released its Google Maps April Fool's Day prank in 2014, inviting people to catch Pokemon on real-life maps, it lead to the release of strategy guides for everyone feverently hunting, and awarded those who caught them all with Pokemon Master Certificates, as shown off by Reddit user tinygrump here:
Long-time Nintendo fans may be further endeared to the Pokemon Go project for its ties to the late and much beloved Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata had previously talked about working on the project, and following his death in July, others at Nintendo picked up the work and brought the Pokemon GO project to completion.
Pokemon Go will release in 2016.
