‘Pokemon Go:’ prank to phenomenon

SAN FRANCISCO - The origin of “Pokemon Go” is as peculiar as any of the Voltorbs or Snorlaxes that players track and capture in the surprise hit game.

Its hybrid DNA flows from a digital mapping pioneer’s fascination with the world around him, Google’s affinity for offbeat ideas, Nintendo’s comeback quest and a 20-year-old menagerie of animated monsters so popular that it spawned a company just to be its talent agency.

Then all it took was a prank to hatch a mobile video game that has turned into a cultural phenomenon. Jeff Powers, assistant manager at Rock Candy Boutique, puts up a sign encouraging Pokeman Go players to play inside the store in Halifax on Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Some Canadian businesses are jumping on the popular Pokemon Go video game craze by encouraging people to use their shops and bars as a stop in their quest to catch the mythical creatures.

With the goal of building mobile apps and games that encouraged “adventures on foot with others,” Hanke named Niantic after a grounded whaling vessel grounded during the San Francisco Gold Rush of 1849 and converted to a storage building. The remains of the original ship were later found buried near a current San Francisco landmark, the Transamerica Pyramid.

The Niantic name is a reminder that “there is lot of cool stuff beneath the surface of things,” Hanke told The Associated Press in a 2013 interview. A Niantic spokesman said Hanke was too busy working on “Pokemon Go” to comment for this story.

Hanke was ready to found his own independent startup until Google co-founder Larry Page persuaded him he could keep Niantic within the internet’s most powerful company. • Return ferry crossing: to Argentia NL from Port-aux-Basques NL • 8N deluxe hotels: St. John’s, Marystown, Gander, Shallow Bay, Deer Lake, St. Anthony • 18 meals: 8 breakfasts, 4 lunch, 6 dinners (incl. Viking Feast Theatre) • 2 professional guided tours: St. John’s & Cornerbrook reality - a still-nascent field that involves layering digital images onto homes, offices, streets, parks and other real-life settings.

In the case of “Pokemon Go,” this involves smartphone cameras and GPS technology that can project cute and creepy “pocket monsters,” or Pokemon, into the real world, at least as viewed through a phone’s screen.

It helped that Niantic had already built a technological foundation for “Pokemon Go” via an earlier mobile game called “Ingress.” The sciencefiction game requires players to visit real-world landmarks and other locations to acquire weapons and gear necessary to gain points, acquire territory and battle an opposing faction.

“Ingress” has been downloaded more than 12 million times. It has such a devoted following that Hanke spent a week in Japan earlier this month to attend a live “Ingress” event in Tokyo - just as the rest of his team was struggling to keep up • 2 sightseeing cruises: Whale & Puffin Cruise, Bay Bulls and Twilingate’s “Iceberg Alley” • Viking Settlement, Gros Morne Nat’l Park, Signal Hill, Cape Spear, Insectarium & more! • Experienced Tour Director

Niantic’s negotiations for the rights to use the Pokemon characters got a boost from the fact that Pokemon Co. CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara was himself a fan of “Ingress.” Ishihara’s company, originally named Pokemon Center, manages a sprawling franchise that included games, TV shows and movies - essentially the entire cultural sensation created by childhood insect collector Satoshi Tajiri in conjunction with Nintendo.

Nintendo, meanwhile, had fallen on hard times. Just one month after Google’s Pokemon video, the Japanese video-game maker reported its third yearly operating loss in a row as its lacklustre Wii U console cratered.

Not only had it failed to recreate the success of its groundbreaking Wii game system, Nintendo had missed almost every opportunity to jump on new gaming trends. It was particularly resistant to the idea of developing or licensing video games for smartphones.

“Pokemon Go” offered a potential way out of its hole. Nintendo still owns the trademark to all the characters and retains a 32 per cent stake in Pokemon Co. Similar-sized stakes are held by Game Freak, a company created by Pokemon creator Tajiri, and Creatures Inc., launched by Ishihara.

The final piece in the “Pokemon Go” puzzle fell into place last August, when Google reorganized itself as a holding company called Alphabet that would in turn own a collection of independent subsidiaries from large ones like Google itself to tiny ones like Niantic.

But Niantic quickly broke free of Google in order to explore opportunities with companies that might be reluctant to partner directly with the search giant, said long-time technology analyst Rob Enderle. “There are a lot of companies out there that are afraid of Google,” he said.

In addition, Google hasn’t demonstrated much prowess in video games, according to Forrester Research analyst Julie Ask. That makes it even more unlikely Nintendo would entrust one of its most valuable properties to a U.S. company solely owned by Google or its parent.

Niantic laid out its plans for “Pokemon Go” last September, and the following month Google, Nintendo and Pokemon agreed to invest $20 million , with a promise to put up another $10 million if an undisclosed set of goals were met.

Pokemon Co. says the additional investment hasn’t been made yet, even though it looks Niantic is hitting all its targets with the precision of a Pokemon Master. Norman Savoie of Souris is a truck driver for the North Lake Fishery here in PEI and has been hauling loads since 1972 throughout the States, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. He has a lovely wife, 5 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren who keep him busy. Too busy to not hear all that they have to say. About 10 years ago, Norman was watching the TV and his wife Leona complained that it was too loud. He made an appointment at Beltone and he was told he needed hearing aids. Now Leona has no complaints about the volume of the TV! When asked about the staff, Norman says “You couldn’t find any better! They are great people. They sit down and talk to you and are always there for you.”