‘Pokemon Go’ for iOS and Android to be released in July

Pokemon Go will let users capture the titular pocket monsters in the real world. Photo taken from Youtube Footage/The Official Pokemon Channel

Smartphone users will be one step closer to ‘catching them all’ as gaming titan Nintendo announced the release of the much anticipated reality free-to-play mobile game, “Pokemon Go”.

According to the company’s E3 live stream on its official YouTube page on Wednesday, the beta version of the internationally acclaimed game will  be made available to the public sometime in July.

The Japan-based group also revealed a wrist-worn accessory called Pokemon Go Plus, which would allow users to play the game without their smartphones.

The device, however, costs $34.99 (PHP 1,620) and won’t be available in time for the launch, Nintendo clarified in a report from The Verge.

‘Pokemon Go’ would mark the franchise’s first venture towards a mobile platform, as previous instalments were exclusive for Nintendo consoles.

The game is made possible by Niantic, the makers of Android game Ingress, in partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

The core gameplay reportedly revolves around the real-world exploration elements of Ingress— but with a pokémon twist.

Users will be able to look through their smartphone cameras while the software integrates the digital creatures into the actual environment.

The game’s ambitious gameplay would also allow users to assume the role of a trainer and travel to notable points of interest, which will reportedly be scattered at notable landmarks in big cities.

Meanwhile, Nintendo did confirm that Go will have some kind of tie-in with the franchise’s main handheld titles, but details of the merge have yet to be released.

The two latest games, Pokémon Sun and Moon, will be out this November.

READ: WATCH: Pokemon ‘Sun’ and ‘Moon’ starters revealed

The game’s full trailer is available below. Khristian Ibarrola