Niantic CEO John Hanke was present on stage during Apple’s recent presentation of the iPhone 7 and the new Apple Watch, where he announced that Pokemon GO is on its way for a market launch on watchOS. Evidently, John Hanke didn’t mention anything about Android Wear, so many Android users have been left wondering if Google’s wearable platform will enjoy the same treatment. An official statement on the matter was made by Niantic CEO earlier this week at TechCrunch Disrupt SF, where he revealed that the launch of Pokemon GO on Android Wear is “pretty likely”.
John Hanke attended TechCrunch Disrupt SF earlier this week, where he discussed the future of Pokemon GO and the game’s release on wearable devices. When asked specifically if Pokemon GO will be released on Android Wear, the Niantic CEO said “I think it’s pretty likely, yeah.” He also mentioned that although the Apple Watch “is a great vehicle” for pushing the “concept of playing games outside” and in the real world, “as other devices come on the market […] we’ll look into supporting those, too” regardless of whether they are running Android Wear or perhaps other wearable operating systems.
All in all, this is the closest official confirmation we have in regards to the release of Pokemon GO on Android Wear. It’s not much, but it’s refreshing to know that the Apple Watch will not receive special treatment indefinitely and that the company is considering launching their game on other platforms. But no time-frames have been given and details are scarce so needless to say, the story could end both ways. On the other hand, earlier this week and after Pokemon GO for Android was updated to version 0.37.0, data miners have found bits of code within the new update, which seem to confirm that Android Wear will support Pokemon GO in the foreseeable future. The code also contained hints of Pokemon GO Plus support coming soon, which is to be expected given that the Pokemon GO Plus wristband is planned to launch in a couple of days from now, on September 16 for the price of $35. Similar to a smartwatch, the wristband will allow wearers to access and control certain gameplay aspects without having to use their smartphones.