Usually, Japanese games are released first in the region, with the global roll-out following months, or even a year, after. However, the recent field tests of "Pokémon GO" has expanded and includes the U.S. Speculations suggest that this may mean the new augmented reality game will have a simultaneous global roll-out.
Developer Niantic recently announced that the field tests of the upcoming "Pokémon GO" game have now included U.S.-based players. This means that selected beta testers will join other players from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in trying out the augmented reality title.
According to Gamenguide, Niantic and Nintendo have yet to announce details of the release of "Pokémon GO." Since the "Pokémon" franchise is a global phenomenon – a highly successful one – it is already expected that it will roll out to worldwide fans. However, the question is how Nintendo and Niantic plan to release the title. With the expansion of the beta test, the industry follower believes that the U.S. market will be one of the regions where "Pokémon GO" will be released from the get-go. In addition, it is also believed that Nintendo will release the title to Japan and the U.S. at roughly the same time – and may even include European regions – since it is anticipated that the huge potential for the U.S. market is already present.
Meanwhile, although the beta version is already rolling out to U.S. players as well as in other regions, "Pokémon GO" has yet to have a specific release date. However, industry followers say that since the beta version is already here, the new augmented reality title is expected to arrive this year, most possibly in the summer.
"Pokémon GO" is the first augmented reality title from the franchise, and the gameplay is as close to the series as possible – using their mobile devices, players can capture Pokémon in real-world locations and train them via a number of gameplay-related features.
