"Pokemon GO," the first mobile game in the franchise being developed by both Nintendo and Niantic Labs, will begin its official beta testing phase later this month, but according to the official website, this will only be available in Japan.
The official post reads that the field test will allow the developers to further improve on the game after taking player feedback into consideration. Bugs and other issues are also expected to be ironed out, with the game being played in the real world.
According to a report from Polygon, the registration instructions on the Japanese site reveal that players will need an iOS or Android device in order to access the game and a Google account in order to complete registration. Players are also asked to keep any information regarding "Pokemon GO" confidential.
It is also stated that not all of the people who register will be accomodated immediately. This may be due to Niantic Labs having only limited slots available for the beta testing. This will expand when the game begins beta testing in foreign countries and when the game officially launches.
The Japanese beta testing will launch sometime this March but the report does indicate testing in other countries, such as the U.S. and the U.K., will also be conducted within the year. The beta testing stages are expected to take place soon as "Pokemon GO" is slated for a 2016 release.
Unfortunately, more information regarding the game has yet to be released. "Pokemon GO" was initially going to be presented during this year's GDC but the presentation was cancelled in order to allow Niantic Labs to focus entirely on further developing and improving the game's features, most likely to prepare it for this month's beta.
"Pokemon GO" will be released sometime this year for both iOS and Android devices.
