Pokémon GO developer reveals upcoming features

NEW DELHI: Pokémon GO, the mobile AR (augmented reality) video game launched on Android and iOS recently, is all the rage right now. You can find players roaming around on streets, jumping fences to access restricted areas and even trying to enter police stations in search for their favourite Pokémon.

But for now, players can just hunt Pokémon and augment them. In addition, they can also capture Gyms and buy in-game accessories. Not to worry, as John Hanke, CEO of the game’s developer studio Niantic, has confirmed that new features are coming to the game.

According to Hanke, Pokémon GO players will soon be seeing deeper gameplay and the ability to engage with other players. Players will also be able to trade their Pokémon with friends and strangers.


“It's kind of a core element,” said Hanke to Business Insider. The details of the features are not yet known.

In addition, there will be more ways to play with Pokestops and Gyms, and a global leadership board, said Hanke. Other than that, there will be several improvements in the game’s augmented reality technology. Hanke even hinted that Pokémon GO might arrive on dedicated AR devices as well.

"That may be a fun thing to take advantage of," he said.

Ever since its launch a few days back, Pokémon GO has become immensely popular. The game’s addictive nature and popularity caused its global rollout to be temporarily halted, primarily because of the huge and unexpected load it put on the servers.

For now, the game has only launched in the US, Australia and New Zealand. But according to some reports, users in other countries have been able to get the game by sideloading APK files as well.