Pokémon GO is one of the year's highest profile upcoming smart device games, and one that is carrying significant hopes for Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and developer Niantic. Though a release date is yet to be given the app has already had a 'field test' with limited users in Japan, and the in-progress title is now heading for a similar trial in Australia and New Zealand.
The field test in Japan was rather interesting, though Niantic withdrew access to some that were sharing information about it online - evidently those users were breaking an agreement. Though Niantic was eager to prevent impressions of the unfinished game landing online some nevertheless arrived on social media, not all of them positive.
It's pleasing that the field testing is taking in new areas, however - no date has been given for its start as yet, but anyone in New Zealand or Australia that wants to take part should head over to pokemongo.nianticlabs.com and register their interest. If you're not in either of those countries that web page doesn't allow you to sign up.
Niantic is clearly keen to put its game through plenty of testing to get it right ahead of a public launch - it'll be intriguing to see how the testers respond to the latest version.
[source pokemongo.nianticlabs.com, via serebii.net]
Comments 18
Just signed up.
Looks terrible not gonna lie.
I am glad NintendoLife is reporting this. They report not much else else Australian and just ignore us. This is the first thing in a long time they've mentioned Australia in. I've even asked NintendoLife why this is? Their answer was "if you don't like it there's the door".
If NintendoLife does not want to report much about the Nintendo happenings in Australia, that's cool, just be nice about it and not so arrogant.
Back on topic. I would be wary about signing up to this.
1. You must have gmail or google+ to sign up. Not good for those who do not trust google with their data.
2. They ask you for your level in another one of the developers games to sign up for pokemon go. A sneaky way to cherry pick the users who alredy pay mony to use other games the same devloper has made. So the beta lottery seems not really that random, more cherry picked.
3. This looks pretty bad to be honest. I am Australian and I know here there are times where you will not be around too many people. If you live in a small town, the usefulness of this game is diminished greatly.
The idea is good but in practice ot really just does not work to well. We shall see how popular this is when it launches properly.
I haven't been all that excited for Go tbh but a few of my friends have. I better let them know.
Might give it a crack
No NA yet? You'd think they'd want to test in the big places first, like Europe or NA.
@Detective_TeeJay erm haven't you seen the size of Australia? It's more or less bigger than europe
@Bunkerneath I don't mean literally. I mean as far as Nintendo is concerned, financially and all that
Color me green with envy.
@Detective_TeeJay
They're probably just doing a test run in a small English market. It's like what they did with the New 3ds they tested it in small markets to see how successful it could be
iPhone 5 and up?!
$^#^#%@#$@%#$^@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's not how you spell North America
@sillygostly
I think your iPhone 4S keyboard screwed up, lad.
@TantXL : Worse. I'm on a regular iPhone 4. =P
Yup not unexpected like the n3ds! Game seems to have really gone below everyone's expectations
Signed up. Hopefully it won't let me down...
@the8thark The other game is Ingress, which is also free, so i don't see how "Paying the most money to get in" is of any relevance at all, it's not that long ago where you couldn't buy stuff for the game with real cash anyway, so its not like people have spent years of paying for the game.
I'd be very very surprised if this thing actually caught on for more than a few months.
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