'Pokemon GO' Gameplay Footage Leaked?
A video that was uploaded to the video-sharing site YouTube allegedly leaked the first footage of Niantic's upcoming augmented-reality game "Pokemon GO." The leakster claimed the video was taken at an South by Southwest (SXSW) session.
YouTube user Eric F shared the video (below) on Saturday. It shows how a Pokemon appears and how gamers can capture them. The example in the footage was an Ivysaur which appeared on grassy terrain. IGN reports "Pokemon GO" will be region-specific in the real world which means players will have to travel in order to be able to truly "catch 'em all."
Apparently, the footage was taken during a panel with Niantic CEO John Hanke. Kotaku confirms that the CEO was actually present during the SXSW Gaming Expo to talk about the future of augmented reality games. The alleged leaked "Pokemon GO" footage appeared shortly after the said talk, although it doesn't show Hanke actually talking. The publication says the man talking in the video "sure sounds like Hanke," although barring any official footage or transcript, no one can be 100 percent sure and reports say there's a possibility that it could be a fake.
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"Pokemon GO" will be available to smartphones running Android and iOS as a free-to-play game. It will let players become a real Pokemon trainer who will catch, train, and battle monsters in the real world. The AR game is set to debut later this year and have its field test later this month in Japan.
Nintendo will also be releasing the Pokemon Go Plus, an optional Bluetooth wearable device that will be useful in identifying Pokemon capture locations. Players wear it on their wrist much like a smartwatch, and the device will flash and vibrate when a Pokemon is nearby.
In addition to "Pokemon GO," fans will also get to play "Pokemon Co-master" on their smartphones soon. The combination Pokemon, board game, and artificial intelligence game will be available in the spring.
