Following Pokémon GO's massive success, the mobile game's San Diego Comic-Con panel has been rescheduled and moved to a different venue in the event.
Niantic had Pokémon GO in mind when it set up its SDCC panel, but the software developer probably didn't expect a response as huge as what the mobile game has generated since Day 1 of its release.
Originally, the panel was scheduled for July 21 in a room that can accommodate just 480 people. Now, "Re-Imaging Reality: Bringing Games Into the Real World With Ingress and Pokémon GO" has been moved to July 24 and will be held in Hall H, SDCC's largest stage, which can fit up to 6,500 people.
"John Hanke, founder of Niantic and pioneer of real world gaming, will examine the past, present and future of extending games beyond the screen and re-imagining reality through the lens of Ingress and Pokémon GO," the group says on the panel's SDCC page.
Given the level of success (more than $14 million generated across mobile platforms!) Pokémon GO is enjoying, the change in schedule and venue for the SDCC is not surprising. Aside from the surge in general interest in Pokémon, the mobile game also created interest in the technology that went into making it, so the audience will definitely be a mix of attendees.
Pokémon GO first went live in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, much to the dismay of the rest of the world. The game was rolled out next in European markets, officially released in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal this week.
If anything, Pokémon has always been popular, but how well-received Pokémon GO was is just unprecedented. Companies are also looking to get in on the action by sponsoring PokéStops. Even T-Mobile is tapping into the craze by offering unlimited data for customers to access the mobile game for a whole year starting July 19.
Pokémon GO has certainly taken over the lives of many, with some stumbling upon more than they expected, so players are advised to be more mindful of their surroundings. Aside from keeping themselves safe, players should pay attention so as not to endanger others as well.
The mobile game is free to download on iOS and Android devices. On iOS, it is compatible with devices running iOS 8 and higher. On Android, Pokémon GO requires Android 4.4 or later and at least 2 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, it is not optimized for Android tablets and won't work on smartphones running on Intel Atom processors.
Photo: Eduardo Woo | Flickr
