Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio) will launch in India the augmented reality game Pokemon Go in partnership with Niantic Inc., the publisher and developer of the game.
The partnership puts Pokémon GO players on a world-class all-IP data strong network, and during the Happy New Year Offer, Jio SIM customers will be able to download and play Pokémon GO without incurring data charges, like any other apps and content, till 31st March 2017.
“With over 500 million downloads globally, we are excited to launch Pokémon GO officially in India on the Reliance Jio network,” said Mathew Oommen, President Reliance Jio.
“We are delighted to partner with Jio to launch Pokémon GO in India.” said John Hanke, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Niantic. “It’s exciting to see Pokémon fans in India step out and explore their neighbourhoods in search of Pokémon and Jio’s disruptive high speed 4G LTE Network will be an excellent way to experience the game.”
Under this partnership, thousands of Reliance Digital Stores and select partner premises in India will appear as ‘PokéStops’ or ‘Gyms’ in the Pokémon GO game beginning Wednesday, December 14th, 2016, but there’s more.
A dedicated Pokemon Go channel on Jio’s social messaging app and contents
The two companies will work together to bring Indians a richer and more enjoyable mobile entertainment experience for Pokémon GO, including activating Jio retail locations and charging stations as PokéStops and Gyms within the game and allowing Indians to catch, train, and battle at any of Jio’s outlets throughout the country.
But the partnership between Jio and Niantic goes further. On Jio’s social messaging app, JioChat, Pokémon players have access to an exclusive Pokémon Go Channel. The Pokémon Go Channel will enable Pokémon Go players to collaborate and be part of an exciting community of players with daily tips, contests, clues, and special events. The Pokémon Go Channel on JioChat a fun way to socialize with other players and level-up faster.
Mathew Oommen, President Reliance Jio. “Our partnership with Niantic not only brings access to the Pokémon GO app but also opens the door to more opportunities for our customers to enjoy content on Jio’s one-of-a-kind mobile broadband network.”
Launch despite PILs
The augmented reality version of the Pokémon game finds its way to be launched in India despite some PILs (public interest litigation) actions seeking to ban Pokémon GO in India. at least there have been issued two PILs, as reported by some media in September. The first one before the Gjarat High Court on the basis that the game poses danger to public safety and grounded on the fact some gamers suffered accidents or even died while playing. The second PIL against Niantic was filed by Alay Anil Dave because the game hurted religious sentiments as the game showed images of eggs in places of worship of different religious groups.
About the partners
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has built a world-class all-IP data strong future proof network with latest 4G LTE technology. It is the only network conceived and born as a Mobile Video Network from the ground up and supporting Voice over LTE technology. It is future ready and can be easily upgraded to support even more data, as technologies advance on to 5G, 6G and beyond.
In fact, this launch is in line with Jio’s mission to empower Indians with opportunities that are fuelled by the power of data and a Digital Life and to delight them on an ongoing basis with entertainment-based apps.
Niantic, Inc. builds mobile real-world experiences that foster fun, exploration, discovery, and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic, Inc., spun out in 2015, with investments from Google, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo. The company’s immersive real-world mobile game Ingress has been downloaded more than 15 million times and is played in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
The Pokémon Company (President and Chief Executive Officer, Tsunekazu Ishihara) was established in 1998. Headquartered in Tokyo, The Pokémon Company’s operations span four key areas: video game production and development, trading card game business planning and promotion, licensing and quality control, and management of all official outlets selling Pokémon-related merchandise in locations throughout Japan.
Image over the headline.- Caption of Pokémon GO launch video. © Niantic
Related external links:
Pokémon GO launch video
