'Pokemon GO' Global Catch Challenge Ends With Players Meeting Goal; New Monsters Unlocked
Augmented reality (AR) game "Pokemon GO" has scored another rousing victory in its latest promotional event.
The hit mobile game's Global Catch Challenge ended Sunday on a very high note, as players from around the world easily completed the goal ahead of its deadline. In a post by the game's official Twitter account, developer Niantic Labs announced the great news.
"Congratulations, Trainers! You did it! You've caught over 3 billion Pokémon and unlocked a new reward during the Global Catch Challenge. #PokemonGOtravel #GlobalCatchChallenge," wrote Niantic. By clearing the challenge, the players unlocked the formerly region-exclusive Pokémon, Farfetch'd. Moreover, Kangaskhan, who was formerly exclusive to Oceania, also became available in East Asia.
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Furthermore, Niantic also announced in a blog post another surprise that came with the completion of the challenge. "As a result of all your hard work, Ho-Oh is now appearing in Raid Battles at Gyms around the world until December 12, 2017. So, gather your friends and find a Legendary Raid near you!" wrote Niantic.
Polygon reported that players already unlocked the first set of rewards last Wednesday when they cleared 1.5 billion catches. The rewards included double XP, double Stardust, Lure Modules with six-hour durations, which will all be available until Dec. 1.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Niantic confirmed last Friday that it has raised $200 million Series B capital for its augmented reality endeavors. The funds were raised with the help of Spark Capital, as well as other investors like Founders Fund, Meritech, Javelin, You & Mr. Jones and NetEase.
"This round enables new strategic opportunities and enhances our ability to make long-term investments in augmented reality and the Niantic real-world platform," explained Niantic CEO John Hanke to CNet. Interestingly, Niantic's announcement followed the confirmation of a new AR game titled "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" that the company is currently developing.
The $200 million capital raised by Niantic far surpassed the amount raised for "Pokemon GO," which only tallied $30 million.
