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‘Pokemon Go’ hopes new monsters will get you outside this fall
While Pokémon Go may have lost some of its shine due to a number of problems like poorly run public events and a divisive invitation-only special battle system, the mobile game still has a decent fanbase. The developers have been adding new live events and contests to maintain interest, like an AR photography contest, legendary monsters, and Adventure Week. It's Halloween time, though, and Pokémon Go might entice you back into the game with its new seasonal additions. You'll see more Ghost-type Pokémon in the wild, especially those from the Hoenn region found in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald like Sableye and Banette.
Niantic CEO: AR will reach full potential 'when we get the glasses'
Imagine playing Pokémon Go not with your phone, but with a pair of augmented reality glasses. That is the future that John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic (the company behind Pokemon Go) wants. "The potential for AR is immense," he said at the Wall Street Journal's D.Live conference today, adding that while AR on phones is a good start, the ultimate goal would be to have augmented reality on glasses.
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.
Generation II Legendaries debut in 'Pokémon Go' today
Starting today, Pokémon Go players will get to battle a new set of Legendary Pokémon. Raikou, Entei and Suicune, originally from the Johto region, will start to pop up in different areas around the world. From now until September 30th, those in the Americas will have the chance to battle Raikou, while players throughout Europe and Africa will get access to Entei and people in the Asia-Pacific region will be able to challenge Suicune.
Fight zombies on your street with 'Walking Dead' AR mobile game
How long would you last during a zombie apocalypse? Because let's be honest, the chances are you'd be shuffling among the living dead in next to no time, no matter how good your baseball swing. But instead of waiting for the end of all humanity to prove us wrong, you can soon test your mettle against the zombie swarm in almost real life, with augmented reality mobile game The Walking Dead: Our World.
Fighting Mewtwo in 'Pokémon Go' is invite-only
Mewtwo finally made an appearance in Pokémon Go today in Japan. The legendary pocket monster helped show off the new Exclusive Raid Battle system in Japan, and soon will be making its way to domestic shores.
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."
Pokémon Go Fest's big flop shows Niantic needs to think bigger
This past weekend's Pokémon Go Fest felt like a bit of a flashback to 2016. Users were having connection problems and couldn't even sign into the game. People were angry, and refunds were doled out. But the truth is that game developer Niantic has spent the past year ironing out those issues, and the game has improved quite a bit. The festival in Chicago was intended as a love letter to those who stuck through it all and kept playing, while also giving the company a chance to unveil long-awaited Legendary Pokémon. Instead, it was a mess that showed the developer is still struggling with unexpected success.
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.
First Amendment suit halts anti-'Pokémon Go' law
A legal battle against AR games like Pokémon Go has been brewing in Wisconsin and this week, the games scored a win. In February, Milwaukee County introduced a new law that required AR game makers to get a permit before their games could be designed for use in the county's parks. The move came after the parks saw large increases in traffic after the release of Pokémon Go last year.
Walking ‘Silent Streets’ makes for a sinister but short adventure
My friends, who knew of my uncharacteristic love for Pokémon Go, suggested that I try Silent Streets. It's a brand-new mobile game that combines the same mechanics of augmented reality and walking that I enjoy so much. There's no magical critter-catching going in Silent Streets. It's a Victorian gothic detective story that sees you roaming your local area to solve a murder -- one that had me walking around trying to find "The Boy With the Flower Skin."
'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.
'Pokémon Go' will flag creatures caught using cheats
Niantic has decided that forcing Pokémon Go cheaters to a life of catching Pidgeys isn't quite enough of a punishment. Now, any Pokémon caught using "third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay" will be marked with a slash in people's inventories and "may not behave as expected." The developer has announced its new anti-cheating measure on The Silph Road subreddit, explaining that they're meant to ensure its new features remain fun and fair for all Trainers. Niantic is probably talking about its recently announced raid battles, wherein up to 20 players can participate, that's expected to launch in the coming weeks.
'Pokémon Go' to get raid battles and simplified gyms
A year after Pokémon Go captivated the world with its location-based catch-athon, Niantic is making some changes. The biggest is raid battles, a concept that was teased in the very first trailer for the game. They'll launch "in the coming weeks" and take place at existing gyms, allowing groups of players to take on rare and powerful Pokémon together. At first, you'll see an egg and a countdown timer, as well as one to four boss icons which indicate the creature's difficulty. When the meter drops to zero, the Pokémon will appear and you'll have a limited time to catch it.
‘Pokémon Go’ anniversary events to take place in real life worldwide
Pokémon Go is coming up on its one year anniversary and Niantic is planning a major celebration. Events are scheduled around the world but the biggest will be Pokémon Go Fest taking place in Chicago on July 22nd. There aren't many details about the event just yet other than that it will take place in the city's Grant Park.
Mobile is helping The Pokémon Company make tons of money
It's not every year that a mobile game becomes a genuine global phenomenon -- but as I'm sure you all noticed, that's exactly what Pokémon Go was. For a good few months, Nintendo and Niantic transformed most of the world into wandering cellphone zombies, and now, The Pokémon Company is reaping the benefits. In the previous fiscal year, the house of Pikachu found itself in a bit of a slump, turning over a middling profit of just $5.6 million dollars. Now, a report spotted by analyst Serkan Toto reveals that this financial year The Pokémon Company's profits exceeded $143.3 million -- more than 26 times what it made the previous year.
'Pokémon Go' update gives cheaters lousy monsters
With a new update, Pokémon Go cheaters won't be banned, but instead thrown into a depressing purgatory. As spotted by Reddit's hardcore Pokémon Go site, Silph Road, Niantic is now "shadowbanning" cheaters by only letting them find humdrum monsters like Pidgey. In a statement, Niantic support said "people who violate the Pokémon Go Terms of Service may have their gameplay affected and may not be able to see all the Pokémon around them."
The latest 'Pokémon Go' event is all about rock
With the one year anniversary of Pokémon Go approaching, Niantic and the Pokémon Company have launched (another) in-game event called Adventure Week. From May 18th until May 25th, trainers will encounter an increasing number of Rock-type Pokémon, including Omanyte, Kabuto and their "Evolutions." Players will also be more likely to see rare Rock critters, including Aerodactyl, Onix and Sudowoodo, the companies say.
