New Pokémon Mobile Game 'Pokeland' Now In Alpha Testing Phase In Japan

A new Pokémon game was announced in Japan called Pokéland. The mobile game is now available for Alpha testing, and is expected to be released for iOS and Android devices.

Pokéland seems like a combination of Pokémon Go and Pokémon Rumble, the Next Web reported. Players will have to collect and train Pokémon while also battling other Pocket Monsters along the way. The game is set on various islands with different stages.

Pokéland is now available as an Android-only Alpha test in Japan. The app itself requires an internet connection and users will need to sign-in using their Nintendo Accounts. This also means a player’s Mii can appear within the game, Kotaku reported.

The Alpha test of Pokéland includes six islands with 52 stages and 134 kinds of Pokémon to collect, train or fight. Another restriction with the Alpha test is participants will only be able to reach the 15th floor of the game’s Champion Tower.

The Alpha test starts today and is only available in Japan at the moment. It will conclude June 9. Only 10,000 people will be part of the Pokeland Alpha test, and the Pokémon Co. says it will recruit players first come, first served. The company might include additional testers once the 10,000 people have been recruited.

Those who participate in the alpha won’t be able to save and transfer their progress and or data once the official Pokéland release date is here. The Pokémon Co. said it will delete the data when the game finally arrives.

There’s no information yet on when exactly Pokéland will be released to everyone, but at least it’s good to know it will be available on both iOS and Android devices. There’s also no information on how exactly the game will be played, but it does look like it will have the typical turn-based mechanics for battles.

Keep the Pokeball Rolling

Nintendo and the Pokémon Co. have seen a lot of success with recent Pokémon games. Pokémon Go broke records when it was released just last year. The game quickly became a worldwide phenomenon with more than 10 million downloads within a week of its initial release. As of February, Pokémon Go was downloaded 650 million times.

Pokémon Go had 65 million monthly active players as of April. Niantic, the mobile game’s developer, has continuously brought updates and improvements to Pokémon Go, and the upcoming summer update might be its biggest yet. The game is expected finally to feature PvP battles and Legendary Pokemon.

Nintendo also saw huge success with the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon for the 3DS handheld system. As of March 31, the Nintendo had sold more than 15 million copies of Sun and Moon. The duo became the second-best-selling Nintendo 3DS game just behind X and Y, which sold 16.11 million copies.

Nearly a week ago, the Pokémon Co. released the Magikarp Jump Pokémon game for iOS and Android devices. Unlike Go, the game only lets users collect and train Magikarps to become the best jumper in the land. So far, the game has been received well and currently has a five-star rating on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

With Pokéland, it looks like Nintendo and the Pokémon Co. both want to cash-in on recent successes with the franchise by simply keeping the ball rolling and trying not to lose any momentum.