Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones

The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android. Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players "tap on Pokemon trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime," according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar. According to the game's official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform. Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006. Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character. A release outside of Japan has not been announced.