'Pokemon Go' to be Officially Unveiled at Niantic's GDC Talk? [Details]

By Arvin Matthew Paculaba| Feb 04, 2016

More details and gameplay footage of "Pokémon Go" will be unveiled at this year's Game Developers Conference happening from March 14 to 18 in San Francisco, California.

According to the official GDC website, Niantic CEO John Hanke will be giving an in-depth discussion about the long-awaited augmented-reality mobile game. He will be talking about "how the company has developed a unique vision for delivering a mobile Pokémon experience that gets would-be trainers into the outdoors."

The talk will be accompanied by an exclusive look at how the game works. Hanke and his team will explain how players can interact and explore the AR world of "Pokémon Go." He will also go into full detail about the painstaking process behind the game's development.

GameSpot reported that Niantic was given $20 million by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Google to develop "Pokémon Go." The investors have agreed to chip in an additional $10 million if Niantic meets certain technical and sales goals.

It has been well-established that "Pokémon Go" lets players take on the role of real-life Pokémon trainers. The game, with the help of augmented-reality technology, allows players to find, catch, train and battle Pokémons.

Tech Advisor mentioned that the game even includes an optional device that enhances the whole experience. Pokémon Go Plus is a Pokéball-shaped wristwatch which detects nearby Pokémons. The device flickers and pulsates to notify players and can connect to smartphones via Bluetooth. It can also notify its wearer of upcoming Pokémon conferences.

So much attention has been directed at the interactive and explorative aspects of "Pokémon Go" that it's easy to overlook the game's combat system. Even if players only want to collect Pokémons, they still have to battle in order to attain them.

Neuro Gadget theorized that battles in "Pokémon Go" will most probably maintain the core mechanics fans have grown accustomed to, but with slightly updated rules. Considering players can now do battles on the streets, PvP fights will most likely be more time conscious this time around.

"Pokemon Go" will be available later this year on the App Store and Google Play. It won't cost a dime, but it will feature multiple in-app purchases, including the aforementioned Pokémon Go Plus.

Although the game is advertised as a mobile exclusive, there have been reports claiming it will soon run on the Nintendo NX console. Reliable video game consultant Dr. Sertan Toto said Niantic is open to the possibility of expanding its interactive games to other platforms in the future, per Game Zone.

Latest News