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'Pokemon GO' release date rumors: Launch in 2017 more likely? Team-exclusive Pokemon, PvP battles expected?

Miguel Salonga May 04, 2016 06:31 AM EST

Pokemon GO | Pokemon GO/Niantic/Facebook Page

A lot of Pokemon fans have been waiting for updates regarding the much-anticipated smartphone game based on the popular "Pokemon" franchise. Niantic formally announced the development of "Pokemon GO" last year, but the game developer company has remained very careful in sharing the important details to the public. However, there are rumors that the Pokemon mobile game application will be out in the digital markets worldwide sometime next year. Also, there are rumors that the game will feature a player vs. player (PvP) battle rounds and team exclusive Pokemons.

According to the Bitbag, Niantic will be launching "Pokemon GO" to iOS and Android smartphone devices in the near future, although the company has not yet disclosed an exact release date. However, the news website noted that 2017 could be the year that the mobile Pokemon game will be launched, since Niantic has already done several beta testing in different locations in Japan. The beta tests have also been extended to areas outside Japan such as Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, there are rumors that the "Pokemon GO" gameplay will be featuring PvP battles. While Nintendo and Niantic are still working on the beta field tests to develop the final version of the game, a separate report from the Bitbag states that the PvP battle rounds in "Pokemon GO" gameplay will be similar to another popular augmented reality video game called "ingress." In able to join a PvP round, the players must be in the same area to fight each other.

Also, there are rumors about the inclusion of team-exclusive Pokemons in the upcoming mobile Pokemon game. In a Reddit forum, it was raised by a member whether there is a possibility that a certain Pokemon will not show up depending on the Pokemon game version. However, another Reddit user answered that this feature does not seem likely in the game, as far as the beta tests are going. It was added that "the team does not correlate with spawns."

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