The Pokémon Company held a New Business Strategy Presentation (株式会社ポケモン新事業戦略 発表会) on September 10th, 2015 at 15:00 JST. The Pokémon Company President Tsunekazu Ishihara hosted the event which was also streamed live on NicoNico. Images from the stream have been added to our Imageboard thread.

Pokémon GO

Announcements:

• Pokémon GO: Smartphone game for Apple iOS and Google Android which will be released in 2016. Get ready for an all-new Pokémon experience! Pokémon GO opens a universe of Pokémon to find, catch, trade, and battle on your iPhone or Android device! With Pokémon GO, you'll discover Pokémon in a whole new world—your own! Pokémon GO will use real location information to allow players to experience catching, trading, and battling Pokémon.
• Developer Partnerships: NIANTIC, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company
• Pokémon GO is based off of the game Ingress which was also made by NIANTIC, a developer that off at Google but became independent company.
• Pokémon will inhabit the real world in locations worldwide.
• GAME FREAK Director Junichi Masuda is helping with the development of the game including the music.
• Masuda is developing ways for Pokémon GO to interact with the upcoming main series Pokémon games.
• Pokémon Go Plus is a separate device that wireless pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth and flashes when the player is near a Pokémon.

Pokémon GO Trailer

Original YouTube Link (No Longer Allows Embedding): http://www.youtube.com/embed/2sj2iQyBTQs

Press Release

Travel between the real world and the virtual world of Pokémon with Pokémon GO for iPhone and Android devices! With Pokémon GO, you'll discover Pokémon in a whole new world—your own! Pokémon GO will use real location information to encourage players to search far and wide in the real world to discover Pokémon.

The Pokémon video game series has used real-world locations such as the Hokkaido and Kanto regions of Japan, New York, and Paris as inspiration for the fantasy settings in which its games take place. Now the real world will be the setting!

The Pokémon video game series has always valued open and social experiences, such as connecting with other players to enjoy trading and battling Pokémon. Pokémon GO’s gameplay experience goes beyond what appears on screen, as players explore their neighborhoods, communities, and the world they live in to discover Pokémon alongside friends and other players.

You can watch the video at the top of the page to better understand the Pokémon GO experience.

A small device called a Pokémon GO Plus will enable Pokémon GO players to enjoy the game even when they’re not looking at their smartphone. The device connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device. Pokémon GO Plus is being developed and manufactured by Nintendo Co., Ltd.


Pokémon GO is being developed by Niantic, Inc. Originally founded by Google Earth co-creator John Hanke as a start-up within Google, Niantic is known for creating Ingress, the augmented reality mobile game that utilizes GPS technology to fuel a sci-fi story encompassing the entire world. Ingress currently has 12 million downloads worldwide.

Niantic, Inc., The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo Co., Ltd., will all contribute to the Pokémon GO project.

Furthermore, Junichi Masuda of Game Freak Inc., the game director of the Pokémon video game series, is also contributing to the project. He is hard at work ensuring that the fun of Pokémon makes its way into this new project, and is also looking to come up with new kinds of gameplay while thinking of ways to connect this project with the main series of Pokémon video games.

Pokémon GO will be available for download at no charge on the App Store and Google Play. In-app purchases will be available.

Look forward to much more information about Pokémon GO leading up to its launch in 2016!

Sources: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-go/, http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv234440920 and http://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/news/