Poké mon Go' Slated for July Release

LOS ANGELES—An augmented-reality "Poké mon" game for smartphones is slated for release by the end of July, executives at the companies developing the app said Wednesday.

The game, called "Poké mon Go," will connect with coming titles in the blockbuster franchise being developed for Nintendo Co.'s hand-held gaming system.

"We would work hard to let fans enjoy the game by the next month," Tsunekazu Ishihara, chief executive of Poké mon Company said.

"Poké mon Go" is being developed for iOS and Android by Poké mon Company and Niantic Inc., a spinoff from Alphabet Inc.'s Google that is known for the augmented-reality game "Ingress." Niantic counts Google, Nintendo and a handful of Silicon Valley companies among its investors.

In the game, players scour real-life city streets, parks and other locations to capture virtual monsters, such as the well-known creature Pikachu. The app, which is currently being tested by select gamers, will be free to download and is expected to generate revenue through in-app purchases.

Augmented and virtual reality are hot right now. Analysts say the markets for the cutting-edge technologies will expand rapidly in the coming years as education, health care and other industries adopt them.

This year marks the 20th anniversary for the popular videogame series, which has been featured in movies and merchandise. Poké mon Company plans to release two new role-playing games, "Poké mon Sun" and "Poké mon Moon," in November for Nintendo's hand-held 3DS device.

Nintendo hopes the games will prop up slowing sales of the 3DS before the Japanese game maker releases its next-generation system, code-named NX, in March.

"Poké mon Go" will interact with the two new 3DS games, developers said during an onstage event at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles. They didn't elaborate further.

Nintendo is also working on a Bluetooth-enabled device to allow users to play "Poké mon Go" without looking at smartphone screens. The hardware, dubbed Poké mon Go Plus, will be released by the end of next month for $34.99, Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto said.

Write to Takashi Mochizuki at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 15, 2016 19:05 ET (23:05 GMT)

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