Google Maps Launches Actual Pokémon Mini-Game For April Fools

Fanghawk

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Feb 17, 2011
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Google Maps Launches Actual Pokémon Mini-Game For April Fools

Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge isn't just an early April Fool's joke, but a legitimate mini-game that lets you catch 150 Pokémon located across the world.

April Fools is approaching, the time of year where joke news stories run amok on websites that have been updated in amusingly bizarre ways. So when we saw the attached video, in which Google Maps users catch Pokémon as part of a job application, one would assume someone a clever prank was released a day early. It turns out that's only half true; while you're probably not going to find a Charizard within a forest, let alone be hired as a Pokémon Master, you can open Google Maps right now and locate 150 Pokémon scattered across the globe.

Once you've updated your Google Maps app, just open the search bar and a "Press Start" button will appear. Activating the mini-game causes Pokémon to appear across a world map, allowing you to search for and collect them with a quick finger tap. While you (thankfully) don't need to travel to each location in person, you'll need to do quite a bit of searching across land and sea to find every unique monster.

The Pokémon Master "job application" states that the game will run until Wednesday April 2nd at 2pm, although I expect starting a career with Google is just part of the joke. That said, it's not like Pokémon fans needed the extra motivation to try and catch 'em all!

Source: VentureBeat

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SirDeadly

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Feb 22, 2009
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I'm up to 16 within minutes of seeing this. This will keep me entertained during uni today.
 

dark king 1525

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A common trend seems to be that landmarks and monuments have at least a couple of Pokemon scattered around them. This includes anything that has some kind of connection to either Google or Nintendo. There seems to be a lot in a few major countries like France and Australia.
 

Draconalis

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Sep 11, 2008
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Holy shit!

I had this idea... but not pokemon.

An AR game where you had to actually go out and get the creatures via terrain.

I figured it would be considered a pokemon rip off though...

Also... I have no game production experience or money to make it.
 

cathou

Souris la vie est un fromage
Apr 6, 2009
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ahhh, now i see... tonigh i was preparing a trip to new York city, and i was checking how we could go from a destination to another, and while i was zooming on central park, i saw this little green dragon, and another pink something near it....

it was an intense moment of wtf...
 

Baldr

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Jan 6, 2010
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dark king 1525 said:
A common trend seems to be that landmarks and monuments have at least a couple of Pokemon scattered around them. This includes anything that has some kind of connection to either Google or Nintendo. There seems to be a lot in a few major countries like France and Australia.
First they went about putting actual places of the games, for example Unova is like the United States, particularly New York City, so they are scattered around New York. Kalos is France and Paris. Second Google Offices are also hotspots, so Palo Alto and Sydney. Third is landmarks or other significant environmental factors of the pokemon type like CERN for electric pokemon. Hope this helps your hunt.
 

CrazyCapnMorgan

Is not insane, just crazy >:)
Jan 5, 2011
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A friend of mine in my guild on Final Fantasy 14 spent roughly 6 hours but he found all 150.

He was entertained, and we were summarily entertained with his obsession.
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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good april fools joke. now only if they would get on fixing the bugs that randomply pronounces "google maps not available in your country" when you need to use them....
 

Geisterkarle

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Dec 27, 2010
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I never bother to update my google maps (I would happily remove it from my phone if I wouldn't have to root first...) and the Play Store tells me the latest version is from 13.3. So is this "game" only for the American market?
 

Longstreet

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Jun 16, 2012
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Well, at least i know what i'm gonna do with the rest of my work day. Thanks escapist!

Procrastination, always lovely.