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'Pokémon Go' players can finally fight against each other
Over the last couple of hours, Niantic Labs has flipped all the switches and now Pokémon Go players worldwide can engage in PvP battles. They'll need to have reached at least level 10 before fighting, but as the company explained when they were announced, it limits CPs for competing Pokémon by dividing them into leagues to keep things balanced. Real-time battles between players is something people have been anticipating since the augmented reality game launched in 2016, so it could reinvigorate a player base that has dropped off from its peak. If you play, you'll be able to take on people from your Ultra or Best friends list no matter where they are, while fighting others has to be done in person. If you'd rather take on the computer then you can also fight the game's team leaders to gain rewards. Either way, you'll want to save up on in-game resources like Stardust and candies, using them to unlock new Charge attacks ahead of battles for characters like Dragonite or Tyranitar can cost 75,000 Stardust and 75 candies.
'Pokémon Go' will finally let you battle other players
If you've been waiting for the day when you can take on your friends in Pokémon Go, you'll be pleased to know you can do just that later this month. Trainer battles will finally arrive by the end of the year -- two and a half years after the game launched.
'Pokemon Go' creator Niantic's Harry Potter game will arrive in 2019
Pokemon Go developer Niantic Labs said last November that it was working on a Harry Potter mobile game, which will also focus on location-based and augmented-reality gameplay. The company has now revealed it will release Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in 2019, despite expectations that the game would arrive this year.
Niantic revives ‘Ingress’ for the post–’Pokémon Go’ world
Niantic has a problem. It's the king of GPS/AR/Maps–based "exergaming," but it's leasing its empire. Pokémon Go is built on IP it doesn't own or control, and a portion of the profits are sent back to Japan. A chunk of the proceeds from its forthcoming Harry Potter game, already a likely blockbuster, will go to J.K. Rowling. It's why Niantic is taking the time to remind the world that its own, original IP, Ingress, still exists.
'Pokémon Go' will track your activity without launching the app
Pokémon Go has encouraged more than a few people to step up their physical exercise, and Niantic wants to reward that. It's launching an Adventure Sync feature in its augmented reality games (starting with Pokémon Go) that syncs with Google Fit and iOS' HealthKit to translate steps into game progress without having the app open or using a smartwatch. If you regularly go for a run before work, you'll see that reflected in more Pokémon candy or more efficient egg hatching. You'll get weekly milestones, too.
Pokémon Go's top players can nominate PokéStops in Brazil and Korea
Hot off its 35 percent active player boost this summer, Pokémon Go aims to keep the momentum going with a new PokéStop nominations beta. "Coming soon" for level 40 trainers in Brazil and Korea (excluding kids), with plans for a wider rollout, the feature will let you submit PokéStop locations and objects -- all from within the app's Settings menu.
'Pokémon Go' cheaters now get three strikes before a ban
In a post today, Niantic provided details on its new three-strike discipline policy for Pokémon Go players. In most cases, players found to be cheating will first get a warning through the Pokémon Go app and certain gameplay experiences may degraded for about a week. For example, that player may not be able to encounter rare Pokémon in the wild and could be excluded from receiving EX Raid Passes. The second strike will result in a temporary suspension that will last for approximately 30 days. If a player continues to cheat, the third and final strike will be a permanent ban.
An 'Ingress' anime series is coming to Netflix
There's no question that Pokémon Go has overshadowed Niantic's original augmented reality game, Ingress. The developer may have a clever way of revitalizing interest when Ingress' major revamp arrives, though: launch a streaming video series to capture gamers' attention. Variety has learned that Netflix, Fuij TV and Crafter are collaborating on Ingress: The Animation, an anime series that will serve as an introduction to the next game, Ingress Prime. Both are expected to launch sometime around October.
Niantic will let developers use the 'Pokemon Go' AR platform
Niantic Labs, the developer behind Pokémon Go, Ingress and the upcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will allow third-party developers to use the AR platform that drives those games. It's called the Real World Platform and developers interested in it can sign up through Niantic to get more information about the platform and how to get access to it. "Because we are so excited about the opportunity in advanced AR, we want other people to be able to make use of the Niantic Real World Platform to build innovative experiences that connect the physical and the digital in ways that we haven't yet imagined," CEO John Hanke said in a blog post today. "We will be selecting a handful of third-party developers to begin working with these tools later this year."
After two years, 'Pokémon Go' is finally letting you trade monsters
It's been almost two years since Nintendo and Niantic released the mobile hit Pokémon Go. While the game's (very) slow feature rollout has whittled down the userbase to diehard fans, interaction with the upcoming Switch games make it a good time to get back in the game. But today, the game announced it's ready to roll out a Poké-critical function that's been missing since launch day: Trading your little beasties with anyone and everyone.
Charizard will look life-size with the 'Pokémon Go' AR+ update
The latest update for Pokémon Go doesn't add new monsters. Instead, it takes advantage of iOS 11's advanced augmented reality tech to give you a better look at them. "The new AR+ feature builds on the core AR gameplay in Pokémon Go and leverages Apple's ARKit framework to enhance the visuals and dynamics of catching Pokémon in the real world," a blog post says. Meaning, Pikachu and pals will now be the proper size based on where you find them. Getting closer or backing up will cause them to change in size and perspective from here on out assuming you have an iPhone 6s or newer.
'Pokémon Go' legendary Ho-Oh is catchable for limited time
After amassing 500 million Pokémon in less than 48 hours, Pokémon Go players seemed primed to smash the Global Catch Challenge to nab 3 billion pocket monsters. Sure enough, they did, and (as promised) Niantic made region-locked Pokémon Farfetch'd available globally for two days. As it turns out, that wasn't the only reward the developer was planning. It's now making Ho-Oh, one of the Johto region's two legendary Pokémon, up for grabs in Raid Battles worldwide until December 12th.
'Pokémon Go' players catch 500 million Pokémon in under two days
Spurred by Pokémon Go's latest event, players have caught 500 million pocket monsters in less than two days. Developer Niantic kickstarted the Global Catch Challenge on Sunday (inviting fans to collectively catch a whopping 3 billion Pokémon in return for prizes) and it's well on its way to becoming the game's biggest hunt yet.
Harry Potter AR game is coming from the makers of 'Pokémon Go'
It's hard to exaggerate the success of Pokémon Go, Niantic's augmented reality game. That's why it's such big news that the company has announced the hit game's successor. Niantic Labs will once again work with a much-loved property, but this time, it's Harry Potter. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is set to launch in 2018, in cooperation with Warner Brothers Interactive and Portkey Games, reports TechCrunch.(Update: Niantic has since officially confirmed this news and released more details on the game.)
Niantic's next AR game after ‘Pokémon Go’ may use audio cues
Niantic is keen to prove that it's no one-trick pony. The company that brought augmented reality mobile gaming to the masses with Pokémon Go is dropping some interesting tidbits about its followup. The title will integrate audio prompts into its AR gameplay experience, the company's CTO Phil Keslin told TechCrunch. Instead of asking people to hold their phone up while interacting with the game, Keslin says the developer is seeking a more natural alternative. And, it seems audio cues could be the key to the Pokémon Go successor.
Delayed European 'Pokémon Go' events are back on the schedule
Sure, the Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago didn't quite go to plan, but Niantic apparently has things back on track looking forward to events in Europe. France, Spain and Germany are all ready for Safari Zone get-togethers on the 16th, while the four delayed events from August are now scheduled for October.
Some Pokémon Go events in Europe postponed after Chicago debacle
Last weekend's Pokémon Go Fest did not go well, with technical issues and cell coverage problems preventing many players from participating at the event's Chicago location in Grant Park. Afterward, the game's makers refunded players and offered other goodies, but complaints have persisted and there's even a reported lawsuit. Seemingly as a result of all of the issues, Niantic just announced it's postponing two pairs of Pokémon Safari events scheduled in Europe to "guarantee the best possible gameplay experience."
Niantic tries to explain the Pokémon Go Fest problems
On Saturday, Pokémon Go players from around the world gathered in Chicago's Grant Park for a promised special anniversary event, but as we now know, things didn't quite work out. As Niantic Labs explains it, the issues that tripped up Pokémon Go Fest were layered, starting with technical issues that caused the client to crash, before tweaks to the servers fixed that. Once the clients worked, network congestion and overloaded cell networks held up players from connecting and staying connected.
'Pokémon Go Fest' issues refunds after tech problems ruin event
After an up and down first year of existence, the Pokémon Go Fest was supposed to be a triumphant event where players could work together in news ways and earn unique awards. The event unfortunately suffered as cell networks and the game's servers couldn't keep up with the strain, preventing many attendees who had traveled from around the world from participating. Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke was actually booed when he appeared at the event, and later in the day the company announced it would refund attendees for their ticket costs, add $100 in PokéCoins to their accounts and give them the Legendary Pokémon Lugia. The issues, and Niantic's inability to deal with them before they derailed the event, recalled many of the problems Pokémon Go has dealt with since its launch. Incredibly popular right out of the gate, the game suffered with significant instability for months, and still occasionally has problems preventing players for logging in now. It's the first augmented reality game with participation and appeal on a massive scale, but putting its most hardcore players through a day like yesterday is just another strike against it, even as the money continues to roll in.
'Pokémon Go' badasses can now play Raid Battles
Some Pokémon Go players can now start working in groups to take on powerful creatures in Raid Battles, one of the long-awaited features for the popular augmented reality game. There's a catch, though: Pokémon trainers have to be level 35 and up to access the new co-op mode, so don't get too excited if you're a noob. In addition to that, developer Niantic says the Raid Battles are only live at "select" Pokémon Go Gyms around the world, though it's unclear which exactly. Those of you who do happen to be near one will have the chance to capture rare Pokémon and unlock a handful of other rewards, such as Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries and different types of Technical Machines.
