Developed by Niantic, "Pokémon GO" is an augmented reality game for mobile phones for iOS and Android devices. (Photo : YouTube/The Official Pokémon Channel)
Niantic's anticipated "Pokémon GO" game has finally been revealed through a footage which reportedly shot during CEO John Hanke's presentation at SXSW last weekend. Hanke was not seen in the video, but sources say that the audio reflects his voice.
In the clip, Hanke explains about features and major qualities of the game. He mentions that "Pokémon GO" will dare players to trek out into the real world in search for "Pokémon." After this, they will capture them just like it happens in other "Pokémon" mainline games. The footage also goes further to demonstrate how "Pokémon" will get spotted.
"Pokémon GO" will become a free-to-play Pokémon-capture game and will come to both Android and iOS this year. It will enter its "field test" phase this month in Japan, IGN reported. The game typically allows players to capture, train, and even battle monsters in the real world which the video has shed some light on.
It has also been revealed that the game's "Pokémon" will be region-specific, and therefore, players will be forced to travel far and wide to catch them all. Certain monsters will appear in specific areas forcing players to move towards these fields in order to seize them.
The game will, additionally, allow gamers to play the game on a discretionary device called Pokémon Go Plus. Just like a smart watch, a player will wear it on the wrist and use it to execute in-game actions like capturing "Pokémon." It will connect to smartphones through its Bluetooth functionality and will as well notify a player about nearby "Pokémon" by use of a flashing LED or vibration.
"Pokémon GO" is expected to hit Google Play and App Store this year as a free download. It is likely, however, that the game will have several in-app purchases.
According to Kotaku, the news should not be entirely relied on since the legitimacy of the footage is questioned and no official video of the information exists up to now. Nevertheless, the fact that Hanke made an official talk at the SXSW last week is a pointer that things could still be positive for anticipating gamers.
As of now, the "Pokémon Go" video has already attracted more than 800,000 viewers, and the numbers seem to be rising at the double.
Watch the "Pokémon Go" footage here:
