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Pokémon GO looks to augment the magic of Pokémon with the real world

Gonna catch 'em all for real in 2016

Pokémon GO looks to augment the magic of Pokémon with the real world
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| Pokemon GO

Today Pokémon Company unveiled a new, fully-fledged Pokémon title for Android and iOS via a special broadcast on Japanese online video platform Nico Nico Douga.

Pokémon GO makes use of GPS technology, meaning Pokémon will roam free in the real world - from parks, to shopping areas, and the countryside. It'll be up to you to catch 'em all.

Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokémon Company revealed that over the past two years he has been working with Niantic, the dev team behind augmented reality mobile game Ingress

One of the founders of Game Freak, Junichi Masuda, has been working on the setting, game design, and music of Pokémon GO, much like he has with all the big titles in the series. Former CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata is also said to have contributed to the project.

A CG trailer for the game opened with a dedication to Iwata-san, before showing people of all ages finding, capturing, and battling Pokémon around the world using their smartphones.

While Ingress encouraged players to face off against each other using landmarks, Pokémon GO will also focus on the aspect of finding, catching, and trading Pokémon rather than just battling them.

Masuda-san, largely responsible for many of the more complex inner workings of the Pokémon formula hinted at there being more depth to the game than meets the eye, as well as the hope that Pokémon GO will be able to connect with future Pokémon titles.

Ishihara then revealed a device on his wrist - Pokémon GO Plus. This gizmo interacts with Pokémon GO via Bluetooth, and features a flashing LED and vibration function to inform you when Pokémon are in your area.

Shigeru Miyamoto soon joined the party on stage to show off his clip-on Pokémon GO Plus and express his enthusiasm for the project, despite being Japan's Gary Oak namesake.

With Game Freak, Nintendo, Niantic Labs, and The Pokémon Company working on this project together, it's clear that this will be the big mobile Pokémon game we've all been waiting for.

Pokémon GO is planned to be released in 2016 for Android and iOS. No price details have been revealed as of yet.

In case you are playing Pokemon GO, we made a page where you can share your friend codes with the rest of the community!

Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.