News
7 CommentsEverybody is playing Pokémon Go, including these celebrities
Pokémon Go hasn’t even been out for a week yet, and it’s already a smash hit and a veritable pop-culture phenomenon. Seemingly everyone and their mother is playing it, and that includes plenty of celebrities. (See, they’re just like us!)
If you haven’t seen your favorite famous person posting about Pokémon Go, there’s a chance you just aren’t paying attention; Twitter users sent 4.7 million tweets about the game in the week from July 4-11. So here’s a compilation of social media posts from stars of all stripes, as an indication of just how mainstream Pokémon Go is.
Josh Groban
It was initially unclear if singer Josh Groban is playing Pokémon Go or just referencing a zeitgeist-y thing for some social media currency.
Welp time to Pokemon go to bed, I gotta Pokemon go to work...
Guides
2 CommentsPokémon Go PokéStops: Where to find the game's hottest spots
Pokémon Go is all about traveling across the land, searching far and wide — but not just for Pokémon. Venturing into locations familiar and foreign to find PokéStops, the game's specially marked places of interest, is just as compelling as the hunt for monsters.
Must Read
Check out our Pokémon Go FAQ for even more tips
What are PokéStops?
PokéStops are an area's coolest, quirkiest, most interesting locations. These include buildings, monuments, statues, public art and other community hotspots. For Pokémon Go players, these locations offer players a chance to become familiar with the communities they're traveling through, as well as pick up some special items.
How do I find a PokéStop?
When you're walking around playing Pokémon Go, keep an eye out for a...
Cover Story
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20
July 5, 2016
StarCraft: Ghost: What went wrong
Dig deep into what happened behind the scenes with Blizzard’s canceled StarCraft action game.
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1 CommentHow to hatch eggs in Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go can puzzle even the most dedicated Pokémon fan, thanks to tweaks on gym battling, Pokémon catching and choosing a starter Pokémon. There's one feature that more closely resembles its handheld game inspiration, however, and that's hatching eggs.
Collecting, attending to and hatching eggs comprise some of the more fun aspects of Pokémon Go and represent one of the best real world translations of the classic role-playing games to the augmented reality app. But as is the norm for Pokémon Go, not all of it is well explained.
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Your biggest Pokémon Go questions, answered
Here are the basics on everything eggs in Pokémon Go.
What are Pokémon eggs?
Here's a little Pokémon biology lesson for you: All baby Pokémon hatch from eggs laid by their...
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News
31 CommentsPokémon Go players, historical sites are asking people to have respect, put the game away
Pokémon Go has brought players to a variety of places around their cities, including libraries, parks and notable landmarks. Being able to catch Pokémon wherever and whenever has also led to some questionable instances, including people using the game to snap photos of Pokémon they've caught at historical sites like Arlington Cemetery and the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Now, both players and organizations are asking Pokémon Go players to have some respect and common courtesy when playing the game.
The National Holocaust Museum issued a statement to the Washington Post yesterday after employees noticed that people were using their phones inside the building to catch Pokémon. In one photo, a player posted a picture purporting to show Koffing, a gas/poison-type Pokémon,...
News
11 CommentsPokémon Go to join with business sponsors to get buyers in stores
Pokémon Go developer Niantic Labs will partner with businesses to introduce sponsored locations in-game, according to the New York Times. The retail establishments Niantic is working with have not yet been announced, but the move represents a major way of monetizing the free-to-play app.
There's no timetable yet for when to expect sponsored locations to start populating the game's map. Niantic told the Times to expect an announcement "soon."
Must Read
About to start playing Pokémon Go? Check out our guide first!
It’s a move that worked well for Ingress, Niantic’s earlier AR game and Pokémon Go predecessor. In Ingress, well-known places like Jamba Juice, Zipcar and others became noted locations within the game. Companies paid Niantic to become sponsors of...
Pokémon Go
11 CommentsCops credit Pokémon Go players with arrest of man wanted for attempted murder
Police in Fullerton, Calif. say two men strolling a park playing Pokémon Go helped them catch a man wanted for attempted murder.
Playing Pokémon Go itself isn't literally what put the suspect in custody, Rather, Seth Ortega's game froze as he was playing, and when he looked up he saw something alarming.
Ortega told police that he saw a man carrying a red plastic rose approach a woman and her three children, who quickly ran away. Ortega and his friend, Javier Soch, then watched the man approach another woman and her two children, actually touching one of them on the leg.
At this, Soch and Ortega ran to the man and surrounded him until police, called to the scene by the first mother, arrived and arrested him.
After originally booking the suspect on a charge of child annoyance, police...
News
27 CommentsAnalyst: Apple, Google, Niantic likely making more on Pokémon Go than Nintendo
Nintendo stands to make the least amount of money out of the incredibly popular, incredibly profitable Pokémon Go mobile app, according to at least one analyst as reported by Business Insider.
Launched just last week in North America and other parts of the world, Pokémon Go quickly soared to the top of the charts on iTunes and Google Play. It’s currently listed as the top free and top-grossing app on both mobile storefronts.
Estimates put the game’s revenue at anywhere from $1 million to $2.3 million a day. But it’s a little unclear how all of that money is being split up.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, that money likely goes to a number of companies, including Apple and Google, which both take a share of sales through their stores; developer Niantic (which Google parent...
News
11 CommentsPolice are warning Pokémon Go players to stay safe after injuries, dangerous encounters
Pokémon Go players have kayaked to the middle of a lake, jumped down into scenic caves and walked around the outskirts of desolate ravines to catch Pokémon they otherwise might not have been able to. While local police departments across the country have no problem with people running around town and catching Pokémon, they are issuing statements asking players to act responsibly and stay away from dangerous areas and situations.
The National Safety Council released a statement yesterday alerting people to the fact that since the game launched last week, there have already been a number of "close calls" with major injuries from people playing the game without thinking twice about where they were going or what they were doing. In an effort to prevent serious accidents or incidents from...
News
0 CommentsPokémon Go begins global expansion with German launch
Pokémon Go has launched in Germany, according to the game's official Twitter page. This is the first European country to receive the game, which hit the U.S., Australia and New Zealand one week ago.
The German release follows a report from earlier this week that a European launch was imminent. Pokémon fans in other countries around the continent are still waiting for the game to make it their way; the Pokémon Go Twitter account suggests that they continue to watch out on social media for updates.
Must Read
Got Pokémon Go questions? We've got all the answers you need
Players in Asian territories — like Japan, Pokémon's birthplace — have also yet to receive the game. A full-scale Asian launch is also expected within the week.
Stateside, Pokémon Go has been...
Guides
63 CommentsYour biggest Pokémon Go questions, answered (update)
Pokémon Go is now available on Android and iOS to a select group of users. Among those with access are Australians, New Zealanders, people in Japan and North American beta testers, all of whom are coming together to teach the Pokémon Go-less how to play the game before they get their hands on it.
Some of us on staff are currently playing Pokémon Go for ourselves, and we're happy to share what we've learned thus far with those less fortunate. Follow along below for the answers to some of the most pressing Pokémon Go questions — and let us know in the comments if you have any others.
[Update: If you happen to be in the "what's a Pokémon" stage of your investigation, we've made an additional guide: Six Pokémon Go tips for the ultimate beginner. Read that, then come back here!]
Must...
News
6 CommentsHearthstone’s new hero, a murloc shaman, is unlocked by recruiting friends to the game
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard’s digital card game, hasn’t had a new hero portrait added since April, when the mage character Khadgar was available as part of an Earth Day promotion. Starting today, however, a new shaman hero is available, and it’s one of the most unique characters in the game thus far.
The new character is named Morgl the Oracle, and he’s a murloc. For those unfamiliar with World of Warcraft races, murlocs are fish people notorious for running in large groups and making really annoying gurgling sounds. In Hearthstone, murlocs have traditionally been associated with rush decks, where you flood the board with these fishy minions that buff each other up and take out your opponent before they can react.
While the initial round of Hearthstone heroes were...
News
9 CommentsPokémon Go update locking users out of Trainer Club accounts (update)
Pokémon Go is reportedly locking users out of their Pokémon Trainer Club accounts, following an update for iOS users. According to members of Reddit, along with those of us at Polygon, the latest version of the game is locking out players who use their Trainer Club logins to access the game.
Niantic Labs issued version 1.0.1 to iOS devices today, which was set to fix problems players have experienced with their Trainer Club accounts. These included frequent crashes and being forced to sign back into their accounts following a crash. However, players report, the update instead prevents Trainer Club members from logging into Pokémon Go whatsoever.
We've reached out to Niantic Labs about whether the issue will be fixed soon. Pokémon Go players and Trainer Club account holders are advised...
Guides
11 CommentsGyms in Pokémon Go: How to train, claim and win
Pokémon Go shares much in common with its handheld predecessors: The game offers Pokémon to catch, items to use and monsters to battle. But each of these offer some unique differences from the games Pokémon fans grew up with, perhaps none more so than gym battles.
Understanding how gyms work in Pokémon Go requires some trial and error, as well as a lot of explanation. Bear with us as we walk you through the world of gym battling and, hopefully, lead you on the path to victory.
Must Read
About to start playing Pokémon Go? Check out our guide first!
How do I find a gym?
Just like PokéStops, Pokémon Go players must walk throughout the actual world in order to locate Pokémon gyms. These are specially marked, just as PokéStops are, but they're even easier to...
News
8 CommentsPokémon Go update fixes Google account access, login issues
Pokémon Go players on iOS can now download the version 1.0.1 update, which adds several stability improvements. According to the game's iTunes store listing, these include a fix for an issue that had some Google users concerned about security risks.
Pokémon Go version 1.0.1 has fixed the "Google account scope," according to the update details. The game will no longer require full access to Google account holders' data, as it did in the previous version. Instead, the game will now just ask to see players' basic data and their email addresses.
Niantic Labs said yesterday that this seeming security problem was the result of an erroneous permissions request. Although it's possible that players on both iOS and Android were allowing full access to their accounts, only those on iOS could see...
Opinion
23 CommentsPokémon Go is a barren wasteland if you live in the country
Pokémon Go overlays its world of Pokémon catching and battling on top of the real world. That hybrid of the real and fantastic can't help but run into reality. There are plenty of stories of a PokéStop drawing in dozens of Pokémon of all ages and creeds, but those stories almost always happen in densely populated areas. Away from those cities, away from the coasts, Pokémon Go screeches to a halt.
Pokemon Go is a world empty of adventure. pic.twitter.com/fF3mPSGtyV
— Jay Allen (@a_man_in_black) July 7, 2016
My first experience with Pokémon Go was trying it on a walk to the grocery store, approximately three quarters of a mile up Route 29. Trudging up the highway, I saw a pair of Rattata and little else. Pokémon Go marks real-life landmarks as PokéStops, which replenish...
News
18 CommentsHere's what happens if you're caught cheating in Pokémon Go
Since the launch of Pokémon Go last week, there have been multiple reported cases of players being banned for GPS spoofing — changing their location to catch Pokémon in other cities and take over remote gyms without ever getting out of their seats. While most players using GPS spoofing and modified versions of the game are from rural areas where it's a little more desolate for budding trainers, developer Niantic Labs doesn't hold any sympathy, and has been issuing soft bans on players who decide to cheat.
According to players who have been dealt bans for using GPS spoofing hacks, once they were discovered, they were no longer able to catch Pokémon, collect items from PokéStops and couldn't battle or claim a gym. When trying to throw a PokéBall at a Pokémon in the game, players...
Pokémon Go
8 CommentsBaseball club lets Pokémon Go players into stadium while the team is out of town (Update)
The Durham Bulls, the minor-league baseball franchise in North Carolina, have opened their empty ballpark for Pokémon Go players today while the team is out of town.
There's a good reason for it, too. The Bulls' general manager said in a statement that during the team's most recent homestand, management discovered that the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was a Pokémon Go hotspot, but that many monsters were on the field itself and out of range of players sitting in the stands.
The park is open from now to 1 p.m. where, for $5, anyone can go walk around and hunt up all the Pokémon they wish. The proceeds are all headed to a pet adoption charity, but this is the latest manifestation of Pokémon Go as a mainstream phenomenon, even in the world of sports.
Update: Here's the scene so far,...
News
11 CommentsPokémon Go's biggest missing features
Pokémon Go is predominantly a single-player experience in its current state. This looks set to change, however, according to developer Niantic Labs; trading is on its way to the iOS and Android hit.
There are other modes — many of them multiplayer — that Pokémon fans are also hoping will make it into Pokémon Go as it continues to be tweaked following its release. Follow along for a list of some of the other familiar Pokémon elements the game is currently missing out on, and keep your fingers crossed that they're bound for the game.
Must Read
Got Pokémon Go questions? We've got all the answers you need
Battling your friends
Pokémon Go allows for two types of battles in its current form: random encounters against wild Pokémon and gym battles. Neither one...
Pokémon Go players are using hacks, drones and cheating tools to get out of walking
Pokémon Go players are looking for the best ways to get out of walking around to catch Pokémon, including paying $30 to be chauffeured around their cities. Now, players are using modified versions of the game — or simply put, hacks — and enlisting the help of drones.
During a stream on Twitch earlier this week, one Pokémon Go player introduced his audience to the Pokémon Go Cheat Tool. Essentially, the player downloaded a modified version of the side-loading APKs going around for Android that when used changed the location of where the player was to catch other interesting types of Pokémon he may not have been able to otherwise. In the stream, the player was able to catch the Pokémon without getting out of his seat, getting around one of the core concepts of the game: walking.
The...
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