Pokémon GO: Nintendo, Pokémon Company, Google invest $20m in Niantic

Last month, The Pokémon Company held a press conference in Japan to reveal Pokémon GO: a Free 2 Play application for iOS and Android, which is set to launch next year. It will allow players to go find, catch and trade Pokémon in real life, as it’s based on Alternate Reality (using the camera of your iOS or Android smartphone).

And this game is a pretty big deal for all parties involved, and not just a cheap app for making some quick bucks. Today, it was announced that Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Google are investing $30 millions in Niantic, the company developing Pokémon GO. $20 millions are paid upfront, and the remaining $10 millions will be paid if Niantic manages to achieve “certain milestones”.

In the press release, Niantic explains that this investment will be used to “continue work on Pokémon GO, support its thriving global Ingress community, scale its platform and bring new games to market”.

Here’s what John Hanke (CEO of Niantic) had to say about this:

“The Pokémon Company, Google and Nintendo are incredible investors and strategic partners to help build the next chapter for Niantic. We will be using this capital to continue the development of Pokémon GO, to evolve and grow Ingress and its thriving global community, and to build out our real-world gaming platform.”

Here’s what Tsunekazu Ishihara (President and CEO of The Pokémon Company) had to say about this:

“Pokémon’s strategic investment in Niantic paves the way for a social mobile experience the world has never seen before. The Pokémon Company is committed to partnering with companies like Niantic that share the same spirit of community and innovation.”

Finally, here’s what Don Harrisson ( vice president, Corporate Development at Google) had to say about this:

“Niantic has shown the great potential of mixing geo-location technology, dynamic storytelling and innovative game design, and we’re excited to continue supporting the team on their journey.”

Pokémon GO (Mobile) will be launched next year.

Source: Niantic PR