Last September, The Pokémon Company announced that it was teaming up with mobile developer Niantic on an augmented reality game based on its ultra-popular pocket monster franchise.
Over the past few months, they’ve been trialing Pokémon Go with players in Japan and the US. You won’t have to wait much longer to get in on the action: at the E3 gaming expo, publisher Nintendo announced that the title will be released on Android and iOS sometime in July.
Nintendo also said that it’s developing features to enable trading monsters, but that they won’t be available at launch. It added that there will eventually be some kind of integration between the mobile title and Pokémon Sun and Moon, the upcoming games for the Nintendo 3DS portable console.
Pokémon Go sees players exploring their cities in the search for Pokémon, using their phones to spot these creatures in the wild using AR tech and location info. You’ll also be able to discover Gyms to train your monsters and secure special items like Pokémon eggs at places of interest such as museums and monuments.
In addition, Nintendo mentioned that it will make the Pokémon Go Plus – a Bluetooth-enabled wristband that vibrates, lights up and lets you perform in-game actions like locating and catching nearby Pokémon – available soon after the launch of the game for $34.99.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.