Fans who are waiting for the augmented reality game "Pokémon Go" were ecstatic when developer Niantic announced that it will showcase the game at the upcoming Game Developers Conference. However, the excitement was short-lived as the company has decided to back out of the event at the last minute.
According to Game Informer, the cancellation by Niantic is confirmed by the page about the presentation being taken off the Game Developers Conference 2016 website. The industry follower sought clarification from Niantic, and the company replied with a statement.
Niantic CEO John Hanke stated, "We have decided to forego our GDC talk on 'Pokémon GO' in order to focus on getting the product ready for beta test and launch."
On the description page, it was revealed that Hanke and his team were supposed to be showcasing how augmented reality works in a "Pokémon"-style gameplay. It was also hinted that there was going to be a hands-on demo of the game, and Niantic's partner, publisher Nintendo, was to grace the event by highlighting the accessory wearable Pokémon GO Plus.
"As much as we hate to disappoint those in the industry attending GDC, we feel our time and energy right now are best spent on making sure every aspect of the product is where we want it to be," Hanke added.
This decision by Niantic seems to be a good call, as recent speculations suggest that "Pokémon Go" will have its field test before the month ends. According to Polygon, the registration for the beta test is already live. However, the field test version is available for Japanese players only. In addition, not all who register will have a chance to test out the augmented reality title because there are limited slots. It is unclear how Niantic will select the players that will be given access to the game.
"Pokémon GO" is the first augmented reality game in the franchise. While there is no release date yet, it is expected that the game will launch this year.
