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[Volotaire]

GamesBeat: I’m curious about how that developed, because it’s such an unusual thing for Nintendo to do. They rarely collaborate to this degree with companies in the west.

Hanke: It was driven in large part by Mr. Ishihara and the Pokémon Company. They’ve been involved in developing all the Pokémon games through the years. They guide the IP. But a lot of what they do is through partnerships. They partnered initially with Wizards of the Coast to bring out the Pokémon card game, which has now sold something like 21 billion cards. They have animation partners who do the TV show. They’re a partnering type of company. Mr. Ishihara ushered us into the halls at Nintendo.

The former CEO of Nintendo, Mr. Iwata, had his hand on the wheel. He was steering Nintendo in a new direction. Part of that was the partnership with DeNA, the mobile game company. They have new hardware in the pipeline that they’ve been working on. He saw the need and personally wanted to help evolve Nintendo. They resisted mobile for a long time. But it’s clear their relationships with us and with DeNA that they now understand how relevant it is to the future.

GamesBeat: I’m curious about what you think of mapping Pokémon onto this engine where location is such a big advantage. Location can also be a challenge or disadvantage in some other ways, though. In some past location-based games, if there’s not enough players in an area, they’re not really socially connected. If you have to travel very far to find something, is it really worth doing?

Hanke: We’ve learned a lot on those fronts with Ingress. Even if you’re in a small town — I grew up in a town of 1,000 people in Texas. We had that as a design goal. If we’re going to build a game that works with location, it has to be fun for people anywhere to play, in small towns as well as San Francisco. If we designed something that only worked in San Francisco, it wouldn’t be a real success. We wanted it to work globally.

You do things like enabling asynchronous play. If someone passes through that town on a trip to somewhere else, they interact with the locations there. That makes the place feel alive, even if you didn’t match with them head-to-head. The linking game in Ingress, where you link from one city to another to form big fields, means that what people might be doing in very small, remote locations is still critical to the global game. We’ll find that a town in rural Mississippi all of a sudden has a global spotlight on it because it’s an anchor for one of these big fields.

There’s an incentive for teams to find obscure places to anchor their portals, in fact. There are fewer attackers on the other team to take them out. It’s a defense, like security through obscurity. You try to grab something that’s far away from everywhere else. That means, at that point in time, that people playing in that area all of a sudden are on the global stage.

This idea of moving keys around — you get a key from a portal. You need the key to make a link. People are ferrying these around like they’re muling drugs. They’re transporting them from person to person. That means, if you want to get them from New York to San Francisco, they may transit several places in between. It stitches the whole world together into the global game.

I feel like we’ve learned a lot of lessons from Ingress that we’ll bring to Pokémon. We’ll make sure you can play it everywhere.

GamesBeat: How do you plan to handle the distribution of different items and things in the game?

Hanke: Our goal is to make it so you can walk out of the house and within five minutes, you can find Pokémon. It may not be the most rare Pokémon in the world, but there’ll be a population of Pokémon living near all our players. Gems will be a bit more rare. You want to find gems so you can level up your Pokémon and battle there, so it will take a little more effort to get there.

Pokémon will live in different parts of the world depending on what type of Pokémon they are. Water Pokémon will live near the water. It may be that certain Pokémon will only exist in certain parts of the world. Very rare Pokémon may exist in very few places. But you can trade. If you live in a place with lots of water Pokémon and you come to an event — we have these Ingress events that are getting bigger and bigger. We’ll have our biggest weekend ever on Saturday.

We’ll have events for Pokémon as well. Those are competitive, but they can also be places to trade stuff with other players. Pokémon trading is going to be huge. You can’t get all of them by yourself. If you want all of them you’ll have to trade with other players. Or you have to be someone who takes time off work and travels the world for a year. There may be people who do that.

MUCH MORE AT THE LINK!

Catch me if old (searched).

Source: VentureBeat

 

[JeffGrubb]

God, this makes me want this game really badly. Trying to get into a beta if they have one.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Gems will be a bit more rare. You want to find gems so you can level up your Pokémon and battle there, so it will take a little more effort to get there.

Can you perhaps, buy those gems?

 

[Not75Drops]

I think that should by gyms, not gems.

 

[Zalman]

Really interesting interview. Cool to hear about how the project got started, how much Iwata and Miyamoto were on board etc.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

I wasn't really interested before, but I have to admit I'm kinda sort, a little interested...I'm actually kind of surprised handhelds haven't incorporated GPS yet.

Imagine in a pokemon game where you'd have the same regional distribution as usual, but if you were near certain areas certain types would increase/decrease, like if you were playing near a body of water you'd have a higher chance of catching rarer creatures when fishing in the game.

 

[SoulUnison]

Can you perhaps, buy those gems?

Oh, no...

I think that should by gyms, not gems.

Please, yes...!

 

[chrominance]

They also explain a bit about how the watch device will work:

It vibrates and flashes when you’re near Pokémon. When they press a button in a certain sequence they capture it. Then, later on, you can look at it together on your phone or tablet.

I would actually totally be into a more subtle version of the watch, something that looks like a Fitbit but instead of tracking my fitness it helps me catch Pokemon.

 

[Sterok]

Very interesting. Everyone involved wants this to be big. If they pull this off correctly, I'm sure it will be.

 

[ash_ag]

Long, interesting, and incredibly insightful interview. There are a lot of implications to take away from this in regards to how the game will play, but what most intrigues me is how passionate Hanke seems about the whole thing. I have a good feeling about Pokémon GO.

 

[Red]

I can't wait for this.

 

[Skelter]

This game is going to take over my life isn't it?

 

[FSLink]

I would actually totally be into a more subtle version of the watch, something that looks like a Fitbit but instead of tracking my fitness it helps me catch Pokemon.

Or maybe one that also works as a Fitbit, lol

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Lake Michigan better not be full of goldeen!!

 

[Delio]

I wonder if any old lake will do for water Pokemon. Knowing Texas I might just get a crapload of ground types.

 

[JoeM86]

I've got a bad feeling about this still.

 

[openrob]

After an Ingress event in Japan, the Pokémon Company guys went out to dinner and drinks with us. All Mr. Masuda wanted to do was bend our ears and talk about Ingress features. He and John were practically having a game design meeting.

He advises us on game design for Pokémon and helps make sure that we keep true to the franchise, the history of all the handheld games they’ve done. They’re so excited about this as a new version of the game that’s never been done before...This is a Pokémon experience that’s brand new, and yet it goes back to the very origin of the franchise.

It’s about a kid who goes out in the world and finds Pokémon. If you strip away a lot of the complexity and stuff that’s been added on, it’s the most basic expression of that.

This seems really cool, and against looks like the Pokémon company is really trying here to make this an interesting and filled out experience

 

[Crazyorloco]

Isn't the beta out for this...this year?

Looking forward to the game. I wonder if it's going to be delayed a little since there hasn't been any news...then again it's a mobile game and mobile games just pop up on the appstore and on google play daily.

 

[XenodudeX]

I don't understand the excitement for this game at all.

 

[GiantBreadbug]

If this is riddled with microtransactions, then I'm fucking out.

Like, I get there have to be some for then to make money. Fine. But if I have to pay real money for Pokeballs, or if I basically have to pump dollars into this game just for the basic functionality, then it will be worthless to me. Which would suck because the idea is rad.

 

[udivision]

I've got a bad feeling about this still.

Something like this had to be done though. Whether they do it right is another question.

 

[ash_ag]

Isn't the beta out for this...this year?

Looking forward to the game. I wonder if it's going to be delayed a little since there hasn't been any news...then again it's a mobile game and mobile games just pop up on the appstore and on google play daily.

Closed beta test was stated to be "Winter", which can be anywhere between now and early March. Not sure if it'll make it in December, but the interview's timing may imply we'll have news soon-ish.

 

[Darryl M R]

Closed beta test was stated to be "Winter", which can be anywhere between now and early March. Not sure if it'll make it in December, but the interview's timing may imply we'll have news soon-ish.

Anyway to sign up for the closed beta?

 

[JoeM86]

Something like this had to be done though. Whether they do it right is another question.

I just don't see it working out.

The trailer was hype as hell, but the game is going to be nothing like that..

However, after that I tried Ingress and I'm really not a fan. I don't see how Pokémon can be like that and still be fun. I really hope they do prove me wrong here, and I do trust Iwata and Ishihara, but I do not have hopes.

When we get augmented reality implants in our eyes though, tied to our mobile devices, then maybe Pokémon GO will be awesome

 

[Darryl M R]

I just don't see it working out.

The trailer was hype as hell, but the game is going to be nothing like that..

However, after that I tried Ingress and I'm really not a fan. I don't see how Pokémon can be like that and still be fun. I really hope they do prove me wrong here, and I do trust Iwata and Ishihara, but I do not have hopes.

When we get augmented reality implants in our eyes though, tied to our mobile devices, then maybe Pokémon GO will be awesome

I'm also confused. So can I battle people with a team of 6 and what incentives do I have to find other Pokemon once I have a good team (like I know what 6 Pokemon I care most about)? Will there be Pokemon trading? So many questions

 

[JoeM86]

I'm also confused. So can I battle people with a team of 6 and what incentives do I have to find other Pokemon once I have a good team (like I know what 6 Pokemon I care most about)? Will there be Pokemon trading? So many questions

There does appear to be battles and trades, yeah.

 

[Kouriozan]

Brb going for a one year trip.

 

[udivision]

There does appear to be battles and trades, yeah.

I think having battles, trading, and being Free will probably make this game successful. It's a spin off, but not a jewel crush decoration app. At the very least, some vagueness about all the other stuff will drive people to download it (in addition to what will probably be an easy-to-do but effective marketing push) without having to know too much about what they're actually getting.

I mean, the commercials for nearly every other Mobile Game... how many actually advertise concretely what it's even about other than Celebrity Cameos?

 

[ash_ag]

Anyway to sign up for the closed beta?

Nothing yet. If Ingress is any indication, it will probably be invite-only at first, and gradually become more open. There'll definitely be a GAF OT when the time comes.

 

[JonathanNemo]

This is the kind of game I've been waiting for since 1994. Something that makes you want to go outside and explore.

Or at the very least, make mandatory, parent enforced hiking trips a little more exciting.

Could be relatively simple to start with. But I think this is where VR gaming will eventually need to go.

 

[Serenitynow]

I have a feeling this will be huge.

 

[NHarmonic.]

I've got a bad feeling about this still.

Oh, really? Why?


I personally think the "game" itself will be kind of mediocre. That trailer they released was so hype but it's probably only a dream.

 

[wwm0nkey]

So they meant Gyms right? Because gems doesn't make too much sense in that context?

 

[ash_ag]

So they meant Gyms right? Because gems doesn't make too much sense in that context?

Yep. It's been corrected on the article too.

 

[Zee-Row]

I don't think this game will ever live up to that trailer they showed. I just feel like the novelty will wear out pretty quick.

 

[Aurizen]

I hope I can catch Pokemon in buildings or location based or something, like in my college and home and stuff.

 

[bomblord1]

You do things like enabling asynchronous play. If someone passes through that town on a trip to somewhere else, they interact with the locations there. That makes the place feel alive, even if you didn’t match with them head-to-head. The linking game in Ingress, where you link from one city to another to form big fields, means that what people might be doing in very small, remote locations is still critical to the global game. We’ll find that a town in rural Mississippi all of a sudden has a global spotlight on it because it’s an anchor for one of these big fields.

There’s an incentive for teams to find obscure places to anchor their portals, in fact. There are fewer attackers on the other team to take them out. It’s a defense, like security through obscurity. You try to grab something that’s far away from everywhere else. That means, at that point in time, that people playing in that area all of a sudden are on the global stage.

This idea of moving keys around — you get a key from a portal. You need the key to make a link. People are ferrying these around like they’re muling drugs. They’re transporting them from person to person. That means, if you want to get them from New York to San Francisco, they may transit several places in between. It stitches the whole world together into the global game.
Hanke: Our goal is to make it so you can walk out of the house and within five minutes, you can find Pokémon. It may not be the most rare Pokémon in the world, but there’ll be a population of Pokémon living near all our players. Gems will be a bit more rare. You want to find gems so you can level up your Pokémon and battle there, so it will take a little more effort to get there.

This sounds like an absolute worst case scenario for anyone expecting this to just be a real world augmented reality pokemon game where you trade and battle other people

 

[Kinokou]

It vibrates and flashes when you’re near Pokémon. When they press a button in a certain sequence they capture it. Then, later on, you can look at it together on your phone or tablet.

Probably not the case, bout it would be awesome if this meant that the device could work without your cellphone roaming.

I've got a bad feeling about this still.

I have this weird thing where sometimes I smell some kind of freshness in the air or experience some natural areas and I immediately think "this smells like a great day for a pokemon adventure" So I can't find myself having any bad feelings if these places or days I really can have some kind of Pokemon experience.

 

[johnsmith]

Just got around to reading this. Surprised this didn't get more attention. Everything they're saying sounds amazing and is hitting all the right buttons for me. More excited for this than anything else in gaming right now. I know a lot of us dreamed about a Pokemon mmo, but this sounds even better.