Pokemon Go

62 'Pokemon Go' stories September 2015 - March 2017

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Pokémon GO launches in-game Water Festival event w/ increased encounters for Water-type Pokémon & more

Jordan Kahn Mar 22 2017 - 7:36 am PT

Pokémon GO developers Niantic today announced the latest upcoming in-game event for the title with the Pokémon GO Water Festival scheduled to kick off today, March 22.

During the event, players will have increased opportunities to catch water-type Pokémon, which the developers note includes “Magikarp, Squirtle, Totodile and their evolutions around the world,” among others:

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Pokémon Go Valentine’s Day in-app event starts today: double candy, 6 hour lures, more pink Pokémon

Zac Hall Feb 8 2017 - 6:16 am PT

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If there’s a holiday on the calendar, you can almost guarantee Pokémon Go will have an in-app event to promote the game. With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, Niantic announced today a special Valentine’s Day-themed event for trainers kicking off today through next week.

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Pokémon Go kicking off two new in-game events for the holidays starting December 25

Zac Hall Dec 23 2016 - 1:38 pm PT

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Pokémon Go recently introduced second-generation characters to the mobile game through egg hatching, and now an in-game event starting Christmas morning will make acquiring those new Pokémon much easier. Pokémon Go is also doing an in-game event starting on New Year’s Eve to increase your chances of catching starter Pokémon…

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Pokémon Go teaming up w/ Sprint before expected Starbucks promotion, new monsters coming soon

Zac Hall Dec 7 2016 - 7:13 am PT

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Pokémon Go is teaming up with Sprint to turn businesses into PokéStops and Gyms as part of Niantic’s latest move to keep players in the game. The news comes just one day before Starbucks is expected to do the same while introducing a Pokémon Go-themed drink for trainers. Niantic has also teased out when we might start seeing new monsters appear in the game.

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Pokémon Go rolls out revised ‘Nearby’ tracker in parts of the US & Canada, all of Australia

Abner Li Nov 23 2016 - 10:27 am PT

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Pokémon Go’s popularity has significantly dropped since its summer release. Most updates have been minor, with Niantic hosting several in-game events that let players collect more points. While a ‘Nearby’ feature has been highly requested, the current revision that’s now seeing a wider rollout has also been significantly curbed.

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Pokémon Go hosting latest in-game event during Thanksgiving week, action bonuses starting November 23

Zac Hall Nov 21 2016 - 7:58 am PT

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Pokémon Go was a phenomenal hit over the summer when the app first launched on smartphones, but players have needed new reasons to keep playing the AR-based game after the initial hype calmed down. Hosting in-game events that reward players has been one strategy used to recreate the excitement, and this week Pokémon Go will see it’s second-ever holiday-themed event.

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Pokémon Go update adds bonus rewards for PokéStop visits and catches, new Gym rules

Chance Miller Nov 7 2016 - 5:26 pm PT

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Niantic has today released a new update for Pokémon Go on both iOS and Android, bringing with it a handful of new features and capabilities. On Android the update brings the app to version 0.450, while the iOS update bumps it to 1.15.0…

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Pokémon GO hosting Halloween event as app receives update to version 0.43.3

Justin Duino Oct 24 2016 - 2:10 pm PT

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Pokemon GO Halloween

Pokémon GO is the augmented reality game that got thousands of people around the world off of their couches and out of their homes. Unfortunately, after the game reached its peak popularity over the summer, the number of people still playing has started to dwindle.

For those who are still playing the game, however, Niantic Labs has announced that from October 26 through November 1 there will be additional “treats” to celebrate Halloween…

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Pokémon Go Plus tracks distance in the background, counts towards hatching Eggs

Abner Li Sep 17 2016 - 8:44 am PT

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The Pokémon Go Plus finally launched this week with a previously unknown feature that makes the $35 accessory infinitely more useful to gameplay. Its new ability to track distance in the background means that users don’t have to keep the app open to hatch Eggs or gain Candy with Buddy Pokémon.

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Pokémon Go update adds Candy-awarding ‘Buddy’ feature, rooted/jailbroken devices officially unsupported

Abner Li Sep 10 2016 - 11:42 am PT

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Announced last Friday, the latest version of Pokémon Go with the new Buddy feature is rolling out now. Version 0.37.0 for Android and 1.7.0 for iOS also includes fixes for many common bugs and support for the Pokémon Go Plus accessory launching next week.

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Pokémon GO Plus accessory to be available on September 16

Justin Duino Sep 8 2016 - 7:20 am PT

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After unveiling an Apple Watch version of the widely popular AR mobile game at Apple’s iPhone event, Niantic Labs has now announced on the Pokémon GO blog that the physical companion accessory, the Pokémon GO Plus, will begin shipping out to fans on September 16.

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You can now tell Google Maps when you’re playing Pokémon Go

Abner Li Sep 4 2016 - 5:50 pm PT

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With a simple April Fools’ game in Google Maps serving as the early predecessor of Pokémon Go, it’s only fitting that Maps recognizes the global gaming phenomenon. The mapping service’s Timeline feature now allows you to label an activity as “Catching Pokémon.”

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Upcoming Pokémon Go update adds a virtual ‘Buddy’ that gives you in-game bonuses

Abner Li Sep 2 2016 - 2:59 pm PT

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Niantic has shared the first details about one of the “new and exciting” features coming to Pokémon Go. Similar to how characters in the television show have Pokémon that wander alongside them, you’ll soon have a Buddy Pokémon that explores the real world with you and provides bonuses.

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Latest Pokémon Go update adds ‘Appraisal,’ promise of ‘new and exciting’ features

Abner Li Aug 23 2016 - 4:37 pm PT

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A report earlier suggested that Pokémon Go usage is in decline after a fever pitched launch two months ago. Direct battling and trading might spark a revival in the game, but so far Niantic is still focused on international expansion and stability. Version 1.5.0 on iOS and 0.35.0 on Android adds a new Pokémon appraisal feature, minor fixes, and the promise of new features.

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Pokémon Go fever breaking as app analytics show that usage is on the decline

Ben Lovejoy Aug 23 2016 - 5:46 am PT

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If you’re one of the people who’ve been watching in bemusement as half the planet seemed to be devoting their lives to catching fictitious characters on their smartphones, relief is at hand. New data from an investment company shows that Peak Pokémon Go appears to be behind us as four separate app metrics show the popularity of the game in decline.

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This is Pokemon Go’s vastly improved ‘Nearby’ tracker, currently in A/B testing [Video]

Abner Li Aug 9 2016 - 1:35 am PT

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Yesterday’s Pokemon Go update brought news of a new “Nearby” tracker in testing with a “subset of users.” The removal of the original feature upset many players who consider location tracking to be a key element of the game. Some users have began to receive the new Nearby A/B test and screenshots show the feature to be vastly improved.

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Pokémon Go update allows users to change nicknames, replaces ‘Nearby’ with ‘Sightings’

Abner Li Aug 8 2016 - 3:38 pm PT

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Version 0.33.0 of Pokémon Go is rolling out on Android and brings a few minor features and fixes to the hit game. Most notably, users now have the ability to change their username once and a bug that prevented bonus XP from throws has been resolved.

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Major Pokemon Go update adjusts stats, removes broken Nearby feature, allows avatar customization, more

Abner Li Jul 30 2016 - 6:43 pm PT

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Pokemon Go has just received its first major update since launch. Version 0.31.0 for Android and 1.1.0 for iOS removes the broken footprint functionality, refreshes the UI, and allows avatar customization with more options after the initial sign-up. Besides bug fixes and optimizations, several Pokemon stats were also changed.

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Pokemon Go hits 50 million downloads on Play Store, Plus accessory delayed to September

Abner Li Jul 27 2016 - 2:02 pm PT

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With its international rollout under way, Pokemon Go has reached 50 million downloads on Google Play this weekend. According to app firm Sensor Tower, it is the fastest game to exceed 50 million installs and is currently still the top free Android app. Also, while server issues and other bugs have died down, Nintendo is seemingly delaying the Pokemon Go Plus wearable accessory until September…

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Pokémon Go launch in France delayed ‘as a sign of respect’ following attack in Nice

Ben Lovejoy Jul 18 2016 - 7:32 am PT

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While Pokémon Go has been successively rolled out to a growing number of countries, there’s one country that won’t be seeing it for a few days at least: France. In a brief statement, Niantic told IGN that the French launch would be delayed as a sign of respect following the terrorist attack in Nice.

As a sign of respect for the French people in this time of national mourning, the release of Pokemon Go is postponed. Our thoughts and prayers are with France and the victims affected by this terrible attack.

The game had originally been set to launch in France on Friday. It’s not known when it will now launch, but a possible reason for delaying it in response to the Nice attack is that there may be Pokémon to be collected on the Promenade des Anglais, where the tragedy took place.

Via CNET. Photo Colorimages.fr.

Pokemon Go

Pokémon Go launches in 26 new European countries, Japan release coming soon

Chance Miller Jul 16 2016 - 9:01 am PT

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Since its initial launch last week, the insanely popular Pokémon Go has gradually been rolling out to more countries. Most recently, the app launched in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Now, it has been announced that the title is available in 26 new countries across Europe.

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You can now use Yelp to find nearby PokeStops at restaurants and businesses

Ben Schoon Jul 15 2016 - 3:18 pm PT

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At this point it’s safe to say that Pokemon Go has pretty much everyone’s attention. Even though it hasn’t launched worldwide just yet, no one’s going to stop talking about it anytime soon. To benefit from the game’s popularity many businesses are using PokeStops to draw in customers, but even with signs outside and advertising on social media, many players don’t know exactly where to go to find them. Until now…

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T-Mobile is giving Pokemon Go players free, unlimited data (and a free Wendy’s Frosty)

Stephen Hall Jul 14 2016 - 1:05 pm PT

T-Mobile has announced today that for its next T-Mobile Tuesday promotion, Pokemon Go players — in the wake of what has been no less than an explosive launch — will receive free, unlimited data for the mobile game. Set to take effect July 19th, the Un-carrier will give its customers a full year’s worth of data that won’t count against their high-speed plan…

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Pokémon Go plans ‘sponsored locations’ as hit game drives traffic to stores

Jordan Kahn Jul 13 2016 - 12:27 pm PT

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‘Pokéstops’ and ‘gyms’, the real-world points-of-interest players of the hit augmented reality game ‘Pokemon Go’ navigate to, will soon include “sponsored locations” promoted by advertisers, reports Financial Times.

“There is a second component to our business model at Niantic, which is this concept of sponsored locations”, Mr. Hanke said, where companies “pay us to be locations within the virtual game board — the premise being that it is an inducement that drives foot traffic.”

Some companies, like Best Buy, are already trying to tap into the foot traffic from the game before they can even pay to do so:

[tweet https://twitter.com/BBYNews/status/753284891001757696]

Read the full story on the upcoming feature.