Pokemon GO Release Date: Will Be Out for Free Download in 2016 for iOS and Android

By Precy Dumlao
Pokemon GO
The Pokemon Company, Google and Nintendo have committed $30 million into Google spinoff Niantic. Pokemon Go website

With Christmas coming fast at our heels, 2016 can't be too far behind. That means that Niantic's Pokémon GO will be released very soon in the new year for iOS and Android devices - for free for download with in-app purchases.

The Pokémon GO beta site is already up and running and will present all the updates regarding this game. The site also revealed details about Nintendo's small wearable device that game will be released with the game. The device is called Pokémon Go Plus.

The interesting detail about this wearable is that it uses a Bluetooth connection to let you know if a Pokémon is nearby.

To look closely at how it works, the gadget connects to your cell phone via Bluetooth. You get a light from an LED and a vibe if a Pokémon is nearby and up for an adventure. Plus if you press the catch on the gadget, you get to access the other activities and features.

The game itself is a play on augmented reality. The apps use geographic location to discover other Pokémons so that you can do battle, trade, and go on raids against Pokémon. This means the game uses genuine area data to help you along the hunt.

In an earlier post from Business Wire,  Junichi Masuda, Pokémon game director at GAME FREAK will ensure that the trademark Pokémon fun will likewise be in Pokémon GO, without limiting the new types of gameplay.

"Our challenge was to develop a great game for smartphone devices that expressed the core values of Pokémon," said president and CEO of The Pokémon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara, "Pokémon GO is the answer to that challenge."

On the other hand, John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, said, "Our partnership with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo is an exciting step forward in real-world gaming and using technology to help players discover the world and people around them."

The game is another step forward in developing technology that makes strangers discover other people and their identities within the app's environmental reach.

Niantic, Pokémon's developer, was founded by Google Earth co-creator John Hanke as a start-up within Google. Niantic is also famous for Ingress (12 million downloads worldwide), an augmented reality mobile game that uses GPS to create a sci-fi story that covers the real world.

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