Pokemon Z and Pokémon Go Release Date, News Update; Pokemon Gym To Open In November for Practice Battles

Oct 23, 2015 02:34 PM EDT

The treats are getting bigger and better as Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Google continue to raise the bar to deliver the best Pokémon Go.

In mid-October, the trio announced they would invest some $30 million in Niantic Labs for the Pokémon Go mobile application. 

"We will be using this capital to continue the development of Pokémon GO, to evolve and grow Ingress and its thriving global community, and to build out our real-world gaming platform," Niantic CEO John Hanke wrote in a blog post. "We are thrilled to disclose that our mission will be backed by global giants in the game, entertainment and technology sectors."

"Pokémon's strategic investment in Niantic paves the way for a social mobile experience the world has never seen before," said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company. "The Pokémon Company is committed to partner with companies like Niantic that share the same spirit of community and innovation."

On Wednesday, Inside Games (via Siliconera), has announced that another augmented reality will be unveiled next month. The Pokémon Expo Gym will be opening its doors on November 19 Osaka, Japan to allow gamers to start training for their Pokemon battles.

The Pokémon Expo Gym will offer different training programs as well as different game-related events such as Charizard's Battle Colosseum and Gardevoir's Control Score as well as provide gamers the opportunity to gain special Pokémon for its Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Alpha Sapphire, and Omega Ruby games. Fans are encouraged to secure their membership card to avail of the facilities in the gym. The membership card can be pre-ordered starting October 31. Aside from this, it will also have its own application in smartphones called Pokemon Expo Gym Gear, for users to track their statistics.

Siliconera writes, "The Pokémon EXPO Gym will be the first hands-on edutainment facility for Pokémon in Japan. The purpose of the facility is to provide fans with advance on Pokémon, tips on using abilities, and overall a way for kids to also enjoy and learn to communicate with each other as part of the program."

Meanwhile, in the October edition of the Japanese manga magazine CoroCoro, some details about the development of Pokemon Go has been leaked and it also  provides some details about the much anticipated and highly speculated Pokémon Z.

Instead, CoroCoro revealed information about the Pokémon XY & Z anime instead, as well as the release of the Pokémon of the Week in commemoration of the new weekly anime beginning on October 29. Fans have to watch the show to get the serial codes of the Pokémon of the Week, reported Movie Plot.

According to the magazine, the first Pokémon of the Week will be Xerneas, which will be released during the initial telecast of Pokémon XY & Z to be followed by Yveltal then Zygarde. Here are the schedule of the release of the Pokémon of the Week and their abilities and powers:

  • October 29th: Xerneas. Level 100. Attacks: Geomancy, Moonblast, Aromatherapy and Focus Blast
  • November 5th: Yveltal. Level 100. Attacks: Oblivion Wing, Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse and Foul Play
  • November 12th: Zygarde. Level: 100. Attacks: Land's Wrath, Extreme Speed, Glare and Outrage