NianticLabs
Latest
'Pokémon Go' update explains which monsters are the best
Despite its incredible initial popularity, Pokémon Go has faced a number of issues since launch beyond just keeping its servers working. A Bloomberg report cites analyst numbers claiming the game's active users have shrunk by more than 10 million from their mid-July peak, which makes keeping the remaining players happy even more important. An update that just arrived on Android and iOS is trying to address that, pulling in the recently-added Team Leader characters to give players advice on their Pokémon.
Niantic vows to ban 'Pokémon Go' cheaters
Niantic is trying to make Pokémon Go more fair for its millions of players across the globe, this week officially confirming that it will ban any account that appears to be cheating. "After reviewing many reports of in-game cheating, we have started taking action against players taking unfair advantage of and abusing Pokémon Go. Moving forward, we will continue to terminate accounts that show clear signs of cheating," Niantic said.
Iran bans 'Pokémon Go' over security jitters
A number of governments are already nervous about the security implications of Pokémon Go, but Iran is taking that fear one step further: it just became the first country to ban the critter catching game entirely. The nation's High Council of Virtual Spaces wouldn't say what prompted the decision besides "security concerns." However, it comes after reports that Iran wanted to see what cooperation it could get from Niantic before taking action.
'Pokémon Go' dev says it needed to block scrapers to expand
Niantic Labs is still facing backlash from some players over blocking many third-party Pokémon Go services, but insists that the moves are necessary. In a blog post it provided a graph (without any numbers) that it says shows how much traffic dropped off after it blocked many scraper services. It says that "freeing up those resources" is what enabled it to launch in Central and South America earlier this week, and blamed scrapers for delaying the rollout in the first place.
'Pokémon Go' battery saver mode will return to iOS soon
Day by day Niantic Labs keeps tweaking its incredibly popular game, and now Pokémon Go is rolling out to players across Central and South America. No matter where you're trying to catch 'em all, if you're on iOS you can expect the"battery saver" mode to return in the next several days. According to a Facebook post it was pulled because of bugs, but now that they're fixed it's coming back.
From Machop to Machamp: Surviving London's 5K Pokérun
One had escaped earlier, but not again -- this time, Squirtle, you're mine. I yanked at the peak of my cap, and began to spin the Pokéball patiently as the target area grew smaller, and smaller still. A good throw, but not a direct hit. The ball shook for what I thought was the last time, then poof... Before you could say "Mew," it was gone. No time to dwell. "Make that Pokéball your last! It's time to get moving," our leader bellowed. Eyes stinging, I dragged an already soaked T-shirt sleeve across my brow. It'll only be another 10 minutes of pounding the pavement, I thought, before respite at the next Pokébreak. I groaned quietly as my legs kicked into a light jog. This, fellow trainers, is the Pokérun.
I've accidentally joined the cult of Pokémon
Pokémon passed me by when it arrived in the UK back in 1999, and I've never been a fan. The way my friends were suddenly gripped by its cult-like lure made it seem like the worst thing ever. In my mind, 15-year-olds shouldn't be hunched over their Game Boy Colors; they should be trying (and failing) to talk to girls. I also objected to the title on moral grounds, since it glorifies blood sports like dogfighting for an audience that isn't old enough to appreciate nuance. My stance between the ages of 15 and 30 was simple: Fuck Pokémon. That's why it's so galling that I spent last weekend roaming the city for Pokéballs. Thanks to Pokémon Go, I've become everything that I hate.
What's next for 'Pokémon Go'? Custom locations and more monsters
As Pokémon Go continues its global assault, Niantic Labs founder John Hanke took to a panel discussion at Comic-Con to tease at what's coming next to the app -- and how the team hopes maintain this insane momentum. To start, more Pokémon critters will eventually make their way to Go, although Hanke's wording makes it sound like not all of them will make the cut. "Beyond first generation [the original 150], there are some others that may make their way into our universe. We're looking forward to finding interesting ways to make that happen in the coming months and years." The CEO went on to elaborate on developments for the in-game world too -- and that's where it got interesting.
'Pokémon Go' has most first-week downloads in App Store history
Despite only being available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand for its first week, Apple has officially confirmed that Pokémon Go had the most downloads in its first week of any in the App Store's history. Considering that the game has launched in over 26 countries since then, including opening in Japan today, it might just keep breaking records.
'Pokemon Go' launches in Japan under golden arches
Despite being the true home of Pocket Monsters, until today, Japanese fans weren't able to download the smartphone phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. As rumored, Niantic Labs' game launches in Pikachu's homeland with a promotional tie-in with McDonald's (it's already offering Pokemon toys with its kids' meals in anticipation) and the app maker says more sponsored locales and events are on their way. Ingress, the location-based game that preceded Pokemon Go, ran multiple promotions with companies including McDonald's and SoftBank in Japan -- as well as Jamba Juice in the US. Expect see plenty more sponsored locations in Pokemon Go (well, gotta make some money when the app is free to download), but what exactly do the sponsored locations entail? The good news is that the tie-in doesn't seem to change much at all -- and could even be good news for some players.
'Pokémon Go' expansion marred by a possible cyberattack
Good news! Pokémon Go is available in 26 more countries... if you get a chance to play, that is. Trainers can now grab the mobile game across a wider swath of European nations (such as the Netherlands and Sweden), but temporarily went down amid reports of a possible distributed denial of service attack. The internet collective PoodleCorp claims to have flooded Pokémon Go servers worldwide with enough traffic to effectively render them useless.
'Pokémon Go' gets in your face with an unofficial HoloLens demo
With Pokémon Go fever gripping the nation, it was only a matter of time before someone took the game's augmented reality features and evolved them, as it were, with VR and mixed reality. And CapitolaVR has done just that, creating a Pokémon Go-esque demo with a Microsoft HoloLens.
'Pokémon Go' is now available in the UK
Pokéfans in Britain, rejoice. Pokémon Go, the AR video game that lets you catch colourful critters with your smartphone, is now available in the UK version of the App Store and Google Play. That means you no longer have to fiddle about with APKs or store regions to start your own adventure.
Pokemon Go's mental health benefits are real
Dr. John Grohol is an expert in technology's impact on human behavior and mental health, and for the past 20 years he's studied how people operate online. He's the founder of mental health network Psych Central, and he knows all about the latest tools aimed at helping people deal with anxiety, depression and a host of other issues. And Grohol has never seen anything like Pokemon Go. "In terms of the phenomena of people expressing the benefits of playing the game to their real-world mental health status, I think that's very unique and it's the first time I've ever seen anything like that," he says.
'Pokémon Go' update fixes the iOS app's nosy Google access
Pokémon Go for iOS doesn't have quite as much access to your Google account as some gamers have feared, but it's clear that Niantic isn't wasting time trying to assuage your concerns. It already has an update for the rabidly popular game that narrows the iOS version's access to your Google data if you sign in using a Google account. In short, you can likely relax about your privacy while you're Pikachu-catching -- the biggest issue now is simply getting to play in the first place.
Holocaust Museum would like for 'Pokémon Go' trainers to back off
The world is rife with new trainers scouring the globe for Pokémon, unable to pry themselves away from their smartphones for even a moment lest they miss out on catching 'em all in Pokémon Go. They're invading everywhere, from churches to police stations to graveyards, but there's one place that would like to see the craze come to an end, as far as it's concerned: the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
'Pokémon Go' adds billions to Nintendo's market value
Pokémon Go is the latest hotness in mobile gaming and Nintendo is basking in its glow -- to the tune of $7.5 billion in additional market value. Nintendo stock closed up 25 percent on Monday, and by the end of last week, when Pokémon Go hit mobile devices across the US, Australia and New Zealand, the company's stock was already up 9 percent. Nintendo added $7.5 billion to its market value on Friday and Monday alone, Reuters reports.
'Pokémon Go' global rollout pauses to fix server problems
If you haven't seen anyone wandering around late at night and waggling their smartphone to catch digital animals, just wait: Your friends will probably drag you into the wildly popular Pokémon Go soon. Or perhaps you don't live in America or the antipodes and are eagerly awaiting its international rollout? Sorry to break it to you trainers, but the global expansion of the Pokémon mobile game has been delayed until its servers recover from player overload.
Australian police urge 'Pokémon Go' players to pay more attention
Zealous new Pokémon Go trainers around the world are out catching 'em all, but a police station in Australia is warning against actually walking into the station just to nab the items that could be lurking there.
'Pokémon Go' rolls out on Android and iOS (update)
With all the news surrounding Pokémon Go's beta test and wearable, you'd be forgiven for thinking the full game was already out. Until recently, it wasn't, but that's changing if you live in the United States and have an Android device, as spotted by 9to5 Google. Rocking a handset designed in Cupertino? Well, only iPhone owners in Australia have access at the moment so a measure of patience is in order.
