Pokémon GO

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Pokémon GO launching on iPhone, allowing people to get out in the world and catch Pokémon using augmented reality, and developer Niantic is celebrating with several in-app events over the next week and a bit. Between Tuesday, July 6 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m. local time, players will have the chance to capture a Flying Pikachu with...

Mobile gamers on iOS and Android have spent approximately $2.5 billion on Pokémon games, according to new data shared this week by Sensor Tower. There are six mobile titles that Sensor Tower is counting towards the total, but the bulk of the money - 98 percent - was earned by the most popular Pokémon title, Pokémon GO. The other five titles that have brought in more modest amounts of...

It's now been two years since Pokémon Go launched on iOS, becoming immensely popular with players across iOS and Android in the months that followed its debut. Although the number of players in the game has lessened since then, Pokémon Go has remained consistently popular among its fans, and this week Sensor Tower reports that it's seen a "resurgence" this summer thanks to the long-awaited...

Two years after its release in the summer of 2016, Pokémon Go will officially add Pokémon trading between friends within the app later this week. The feature is coming via a new "Friends" area, allowing players to connect to real-life friends and trade Pokémon, keep track of their status in the game, and send them items and gifts. Friends will now get "Trainer Codes" to share with one...

The Pokémon Company today announced the upcoming launch of Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, two games designed for the Nintendo Switch. The two new Pokémon: Let's Go games are designed to connect to Pokémon Go on the iPhone and other mobile devices and offer many of the gameplay functions that are available in Pokémon Go. Players will be able to catch Pokémon...

Niantic on Tuesday announced that Pokémon GO will require an iPhone or iPad capable of running iOS 11 or later at the end of February. The company plans to release an update for Pokémon GO around February 28, 2018 that will end support for older iPhone and iPad models incapable of updating to iOS 11, including the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c. The complete list of affected devices, released...

Niantic and The Pokémon Company today announced that an update coming this week to Pokémon Go on iOS will bring support for Apple's ARKit, enhancing the augmented reality abilities of the popular mobile game. The company is calling this feature "AR+" and will be available to players running iOS 11 on the iPhone 6s and later devices. Previously announced by Apple at WWDC, ARKit brings a few new ...

Following the success of Pokémon Go, TechCrunch is reporting today that developer Niantic Labs' next augmented reality game will be themed around the world of Harry Potter. The smartphone app will be called "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" and is set to launch in 2018. Specific details about the app's gameplay have not yet been released, but it's said that "there will be significant influence"...

Pokémon GO creators Niantic are looking at ways to incorporate audio into future AR game experiences, according to the company's chief technology officer. Speaking on a panel discussing augmented reality at TechCrunch's Disrupt event, Niantic CTO Phil Keslin said that audio cues would mean players wouldn't have to awkwardly hold their phone up while interacting with games like GO. "I can...

This past weekend, Niantic held a real-life event for the popular iOS and Android game Pokémon Go, called Pokémon Go Fest, where fans from all over the world descended upon Chicago to hunt for Pokémon in Grant Park. Ahead of the event, Niantic promised increased Pokémon encounters, challenges and rewards for the game's three teams, an exclusive in-game medal, special PokéStops, and more....

One year ago this week, Pokémon Go began appearing on the App Store in the United States and around the world. Following the announcement of various in-game and real life events celebrating the anniversary, Niantic CEO John Hanke recently sat down with The Verge to talk about the game's first year, including for-profit cheaters, a six-month development delay due to the huge success of the game,...

Niantic and The Pokémon Company today revealed an all-new gym system heading to the popular mobile app Pokémon Go soon, as well as announcing a new cooperative "Raid Battle" update coming in the future. For gyms, the developer said that its goal was to encourage more players to head to friendly gyms because now they'll be able to interact with them in new ways. Notably, gyms will now act as...

It's just under a month until the one year anniversary of Pokémon Go, which began appearing on the iOS App Store in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in early July of 2016. To celebrate the occasion, developer Niantic today revealed a few events coming to Pokémon trainers both inside of the game and outside, in the form of real-life Pokémon Go Festivals. Starting...

Starting later this week, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go will gain tons of new content in the form of 80 new Pokémon that are being introduced to the game. The Pokémon come from the Johto region in the Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Gold games, and will include both new Pokémon and new evolutions. Gender-specific variations are also being implemented. Some Johto region Pokémon...

Pokémon Go fans waiting for a new reason to resume their engagement with the hit augmented reality title may have reason to cheer. According to MacRumors sister site TouchArcade, two features that were sorely missing in the game's original incarnation – real-time player battles and Pokémon trading – are said to be coming "soon". John Hanke, founder and CEO of Pokémon Go developer Niantic,...

Pokémon Go finally launched in South Korea today, almost six months after the popular game's initial launch. Developers Niantic had to overcome some unique challenges to bring Pokémons to the hugely lucrative gaming market because of the way the game relies on Google Maps to work. Those functions are limited by the government for national security reasons, because the country is...

Niantic has announced Pokémon GO is now available for Apple Watch as expected, enabling players to discover nearby Pokémon and collect items from PokéStops directly from their wrists. The companion app is bundled with the latest update to Pokémon GO for iPhone [Direct Link], version 1.21.2, rolling out on the App Store now. Pokémon GO for Apple Watch enables players to log each play session ...

Over the weekend, an image of a fake email circulated on Reddit which appeared to claim Pokémon GO for Apple Watch had been abandoned. A subsequent report, citing "a source with knowledge of the plans," said development of the companion Apple Watch app had indeed been shelved. Pokémon GO developer Niantic confirmed the image in the Reddit post "is not real" in a statement sent to TechCrunch...

Monster chasing phenomenon Pokémon GO is finally coming to India, it was announced today (via Mashable). 4G LTE carrier Reliance Jio has partnered with Niantic, publisher and developer of Pokémon GO, to bring the hit game to the country on Wednesday. The partnership will see thousands of Reliance Digital Stores and other affiliated premises become PokéStops and gyms, where players are most...

Popular augmented reality app Pokémon Go was today updated to add brand new Pokémon, introducing Togepi, Pichu, and other select Pokémon that were originally found in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver. The new Pokémon can only be found in eggs, which can be obtained from PokéStops. Eggs are hatched by walking a set distance with the iPhone. Niantic and The Pokémon Company are keeping some...