Niantic CEO says that Android Wear support for Pokémon Go is ‘likely’
Fans of Pokemon Go who happen to be Android Wear users were a little disappointed to learn that, during Apple’s big iPhone 7 event, smartwatch compatibility for the game would be exclusive to the Apple Watch (perhaps “soul-crushing” would be a better word). But don’t fret, like most deals these days, it appears we could be looking at little more than a timed exclusive.
Speaking onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Niantic CEO John Hanke revealed plans to bring game support to other devices as they come onto the market. More specifically, when asked about whether or not we can expect Pokemon Go for Android Wear devices, Hanke said, “I think it’s pretty likely. Yeah.” He went on to talk about new in-game features like trading still planned for the future and PvP battles “probably” making their way onto their roadmap somewhere down the line.
It’s unclear whether Apple just paid an exorbitant amount of money to speed up support for the Apple Watch, or whether some kind of hardware/software limitations found in current Android Wear devices prevented them from introducing the same support. With a new crop of Android Wear devices from Google rumored to arrive later this year — along with a big new update to the OS — it’s possible Hanke could be waiting to reveal the news then.
Yesterday, code found within the app caused some to believe that Android Wear support was coming, but it turned out to be little more than a false alarm. Now, with actual confirmation from Niantic themselves, it’s no longer a matter of if, but when.