We already knew for some time that Nintendo was willing to develop new mobile games based on its main franchises, but we never imagined they would have such a high profile. The Japanese giant has joined forces with Niantic to create Pokémon GO, a free-to-play title in which players will be able to capture, trade and battle Pokémon with the help of augmented reality and a Bluetooth bracelet.
What began as a humble Game Boy game in February 1996 became a gigantic franchise capable of uniting entire generations. Its anime adaptation gave rise to almost 900 episodes (and counting), three dozen specials and eighteen movies, directly fed by games that enrich and expand the story more and more. The Pokémon universe is about to write a new chapter, but it will not do so through traditional media. Technically, Pokémon already has a presence on mobile with Pokémon Shuffle, a freemium puzzle title that arrived on iOS and Android last August 31. However, what we will see here today goes much further. Its name is Pokémon GO, and the key element is composed of two words: Augmented reality.
A new kind of Pokémon adventure
Basically, the promise of Pokémon GO is to bring the magic of Pokémon to the real world. Using geolocation data, players will be able to capture wild Pokémon, trade them, or increase their level with battles. The presentation trailer also gives us hints about special events in which it will be possible to participate in collaborative battles against superior enemies, such as Mewtwo. The Pokémon GO experience can be expanded with an optional accessory called Pokémon GO Plus. It is a bracelet that connects to our smartphone via Bluetooth, and enables the execution of commands (including the capture of a Pokémon) with just the press of a button. Another function of the Pokémon GO Plus is to notify the presence of both wild Pokémon and other players nearby, using lights and vibrations.
Developed with Niantic
Pokémon GO has been developed together with the people at Niantic, a company we know quite well for its work on Ingress, while the manufacturing and distribution of the GO Plus will be in charge of Nintendo. Although Pokémon GO was presented as a free-to-play title, the existence of microtransactions has already been confirmed, therefore, we hope the game is well balanced enough and does not become a "pay-to-win". Pokémon GO will arrive on the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android in 2016.
