It looks like Pokémon GO is getting ready for its launch at some point later this year. Niantic, the developers of Pokémon GO, have announced that the game will be available as a field test soon, but the test will only be available in Japan at present.
In order to get into the field test, you need to live in Japan, and own a device that runs either Android 4.3 or higher, or an iPhone 5 or higher. The field test is expected to go live in late March, which means it is only a few weeks away from launch. Interestingly, all participants are required to have a Google account.
While registration for the field test appears to be public, participants will be required to maintain confidentiality regarding the game. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Pokémon GO is inspired by Niantic’s former game, Ingress, and features Pokémon catching, trading, battling and more, all in a real-world environment enabled by smart devices. The game is primarily being developed by Niantic, in collaboration with Pokémon developers Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company. No official release date has been announced for the game so far, but we do know that the game will first launch in North America, Japan and Europe; followed by a wider release.