Niantic Cancels Pokémon GO Presentation At Game Developers Conference

They were all packed and ready to go, but there was a Snorlax in their way.

Their bodies were not ready ..... *sorry, had to say it lol

"The game was ready but an intern deleted System32. Sorry 'bout that."

Oh come on! Are we ever going to learn something more about this game. I was already starting to get hyped. Hope we at least get SOME info on this project. It sounds like a very cool and fun concept.

Pokemon Go available after today's direct? Their original wording of "how players ARE interacting and exploring the world" makes me think that it would have just been to show off what the game's future was and how it's holding up.

Probably they're trying to make look less cheap when compared with the amazing trailer.

That's a shame as although I'm not going to GDC, quite often these sort of things end up on GDCVault for free. My Dad works in geospatial industry so always on the lookout for things where that field and games overlap

I assume it was canceled since a legendary pokemon appeared at the other side of the globe

Of course! (Throws phone across the office)

While I am excited for GO it saddens me how people are more excited for GO than a non mobile game like Sun and Moon, I hate today's mobile phone society, but thats just me

Here's hoping it's just getting a time/date change...

@TheAceofMystery Well I think part of it is because it's new, fresh, innovative, and real-worldsy which is any poke-fans wet dream. Sun and Moon reveal were hampered by leaks and little information. And while I'm way more excited about the new gen of Pokemon rather than Pokemon Z, I don't know if it will warrant the same level of enthusiasm of X&Y for me (as a sort of reboot for a new generation), because Pokemon is slow to innovate. Regardless of what the new Pokemon/ideas that will be implemented, it will still be a great game, but there's a reason it doesn't excite more than the base.

Honestly could care less about this game. What's there to hype when there's been nothing to see or really understand from this? It bugs me when people go nuts and know nothing

oops

@TheAceofMystery I'm more excited for Sun and Moon as I realize that this game will almost look like garbage compared to the trailers but, I am interested in playing Pokémon in augmented reality seeing as I had dreams of Pokémon becoming a reality as a child.

@icomma Well to be fair, most mobile games are boring, casual affairs that drain your wallet for a sub-mediocre experience so it is understandable why they have a bad reputation.

I like the idea of this game, but I have a bad feeling about this game though. I don't know why

they should give a public explanation, this kind of things are not serious

Pokemon Go got up and went then... Not sure whether I'd play this much myself, but wanting good Nintendo ventures to succeed so hoping for more news soon(ish).

I was looking forward to hearing more about this game. There's a slight possibility that they're just rescheduling the presentation, but I find it more likely that GO isn't ready for the public eye just yet.

That was quick

@Pie7 We actually know the basics. You catch, trade, and battle with other people. It's a very social game, and it's what Pokemon was meant to be at its very core.

@Damo
I first saw "Niantic Cancels Pokémon GO" before "Presentation At Game Developers Conference". Even though I'm not interested in it, you guys should be careful with the wording in article titles!

@TheAceofMystery
You're not alone in thinking that. However, the hype has hopefully more to do with Pokémon GO's "catch Pokémon in real life" premise than the fact smartphone owners outnumber 3DS owners. Then again, the former fact united with the latter is what got Yen symbols in The Pokémon Company's higher-ups' eyes in the first place.

so this time it's Pokemon Go-ne then?

@BlatantlyHeroic True, but eh maybe I'm just being more skeptical than I should be about Pokémon Go.

At first I hadn't scrolled down completely and I thought the title just said 'Niantic cancels Pokémon Go'. Needless to say I panicked for about half a second.

Pokémon GOne?

Here it comes, the beginning of delays and project problems an rejections because it doesn't work good enough.

Dang this probably means it'll be out later than expected.

@TheAceofMystery GO should be out sooner. That's the way I see it anyway. Why get hyped for Sun/Moon when I still have to wait 9 months?

Such bad PR... :S

@Damo
Especially given there are eager idiots such as yours truly.

I linked one of these in another article, but here's the probable reasons why the GDC showcase was canceled:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/256375/Pokemon_Go_developer_Niantic_secures_20_million_in_funding.php

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/261172/Pokmon_Go_developer_Niantic_opens_Japanese_studio.php

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/253334/Pokmon_Go_is_a_realitybending_mobile_game_from_a_former_Google_studio.php

So let's piece all of this together: Niantic was formerly a Google studio, which means they have Android expertise. They are now being commissioned by Nintendo to work for them, so Google definitely has some behind the scenes deals going on through the DeNA capital alliance. Google now officially has influence on Nintendo's future direction.

This newly reformed studio, which just opened last December, is taking on a big IP project, and is trying something different than what they're used to. Obviously, they're not going to have something ready for a big project like this in a few month's time. (We know this is a big project, because Niantic was given $20 million in funding for just Pokémon Go, a single mobile game.)

Niantic is basically producing the game outside of the direct guidance of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. Otherwise, they wouldn't need to be subsidized like this, they wouldn't be a former Google(!) team, and they wouldn't be deviating from either the Pokémon spinoff games like Mystery Dungeon or the crappy mobile style pay to continue games like Pokémon Shuffle. Yet, they are indeed all of these things.

So, this is the beginning of Nintendo's franchises being shopped out into the mobile sphere, with ever fewer boundaries. It also marks the beginning of Nintendo getting in on Google's business of tracking you where ever you use their programs, tracking your behavior while using their programs, and using your information to develop targeted advertisements based on their aggregated collection.

I love Pokemon games, I hope this is as good as it looks but being an app game. I really don't think it will be as amazing as everyone thinks it will be.

@TheAceofMystery I agree, Pokemon Go wont have anything on proper Pokemon games!

It's the work of the Missingno. glitch.