Apps
Creating innovative entertainment enjoyable by everybody, everywhere
With growth of the global markets for smartphones and tablets, more and more people around the world have come to know and love Pokémon through our expanding range of apps. Whether they thrill to the strategic challenges of our “Pokémon UNITE” battle game or enrich their everyday lives through apps like “Pokémon Sleep,” everyone everywhere is sure to discover a Pokémon app to suit their tastes. All of our apps are developed in collaboration with a business partner ideal for the task at hand. In developing “Pokémon GO,” for example, we teamed up with Niantic, developers of the location-based game “Ingress.” Our apps are born from the synergy of our partners’ creative powers and the unique world of Pokémon.
Our Business
An eSports game offering the excitement of real sports
“Pokémon UNITE” is a 5-on-5 strategic team battle game. Battles unfold on the field between teams of Pokémon, each team aiming to score the most goals within the allotted time. Because Pokémon each have a particular play style at which they excel, team formations have to be devised with strategic finesse. During battles, players need to predict how the game will develop based on the rival team’s moves, making it necessary for them to talk over and fine-tune their strategy as the game unfolds. In 2022 we launched the National High School Pokémon UNITE Championship Tournament (also known as Pokémon UNITE Koshien), where high school students throughout Japan compete for top place. The event is held in cooperation with Nippon Television Network Corporation. Fans both on the scene and watching the livestream broadcast can follow the play-by-play action and commentary and cheer for their favorite team. In 2022 we also added “Pokémon UNITE” as a category of the Pokémon World Championships. The battles played out in the virtual realm, and the victories won there, make for excitement and thrills just like sports in the real world.
Taking hard-won Pokémon buddies to the newest game platform
All along, the “Pokémon” series has played out on Nindento game consoles. Starting with Game Boy Advance, on through Nindento DS, and then to Nindento 3DS, thanks to inter-console compatibility players have been able to take Pokémon from one software platform to another. Rare Pokémon captured after hours and hours of searching, or Pokémon raised through participation in one battle after another, are precious buddies. Up to now, though, the newest game console – Nindento Switch – has lacked compatibility with “Pokémon” software, making Pokémon transfers impossible. Today, all that has been remedied with the creation of “Pokémon HOME,” a cloud service for Nindento Switch and smartphones that enables Pokémon to be stored “on the cloud” regardless of the game console where they originally appeared. Also, by pairing with “Pokémon GO” it’s possible to transfer Pokémon caught at any location to Nindento Switch software.
Bringing Pokémon Trainers into the main focus
Titles in the “Pokémon” video game series developed by GAME FREAK inc. feature an array of human characters who pair up with Pokémon. Known as “Pokémon Trainers,” in the “Pokémon Masters EX” game app jointly developed with DeNA Co., Ltd. here they play the central role. Pokémon Trainers appearing in “Pokémon Masters EX” include not only main characters from the “Pokémon” series but also their rivals, Pokémon Professors, and Battle Champions too. With Pokémon as their buddies, they vie for victory in “World Pokémon Masters Championships.” This is the first time Pokémon Trainers from the “Pokémon” titles do battle and interact in a different series. By coming to know Pokémon Trainer stories and thoughts not depicted in the video game, players of “Pokémon Masters EX” can discover new favorites, or become even more eager to root for current favorites, making gameplay all the more enjoyable.
Pokémon makes every day a better day
“Pokémon GO” and “Pokémon Sleep” were born from our desire to use the entertaining powers of Pokémon to enrich people’s everyday lives. In “Pokémon GO,” relying on real-time GPS data in the real world, players can share recommended routes, and “Community Day” events are held where specific Pokémon appear in large numbers. Activities like these motivate players to rouse themselves and go for a walk. In “Pokémon Sleep,” the user’s sleep is measured and fun can be had collecting the sleeping faces of Pokémon having the identical sleep pattern. We also hold “Good Sleep Days” aimed at helping users get a good night’s sleep around the time of the full moon, when people are said to typically get less sleep. According to a survey we conducted of more than 100,000 people in Japan, the U.S. and 5 European countries, Japanese people were found to sleep the least. But after using the “Pokémon Sleep” app for more than 3 months, Japanese users’ sleep time increased by an average 1 hour and 10 minutes! This demonstrates that using a Pokémon app can change a person’s sleeping habits.