epaselect epa07570530 Chen San-yuan, a 70-year-old Feng Shui master, uses 29 cellphones mounted on his bike and two handheld cellphones to catch Pokemon in New Taipei City, Taiwan, 14 May 2019. Chen was hooked on Pokemon Go in 2016 when his grandson taught him how to play the game. Chen spends all his spare time catching Pokemon on streets or in parks, sometimes staying outside until 4 am. Nicknamed 'Uncle Pokemon,' Chen is now a celebrity and Taiwan's ASUS TeK Computer Inc. has invited him to be the spokesman for its smartphone Zenfone Max Pro M2. EPA-EFE/DAVID CHANG
Having trouble waking up in the morning? Not getting enough sleep? The company that brought you Pokemon Go may have a solution: a game “played” by sleeping.
Pokemon Company said on Wednesday it would release a new smartphone game called “Pokemon Sleep” in 2020, turning sleep into entertainment.
The firm created the wildly popular Pokemon Go app, a game that let players walking the real world hunt virtual Pokemon, in 2016.
“Now we set our sights on sleeping,” president Tsunekazu Ishihara told reporters.
“It’s a game with which you look forward to waking up,” he said.
“Turning sleeping… into entertainment is our next goal.”
Ishihara offered little detail on the game, but Nintendo – which helped develop Pokemon Go – said during the press conference in Tokyo that they were rolling out a new device that could track players’ sleep and send data to their smartphone.
The announcement sparked a social media frenzy and plenty of quips.
“I can’t wait to be an esports player now that sleeping is part of gaming,” wrote one Twitter user.
“Pokemon Sleep. At last, a valid excuse for that extra six hours in bed,” wrote another.
At the very least, the game seems unlikely to spark the sort of trouble caused by Pokemon Go, which saw players blamed for traffic accidents and other violations as they roamed the streets – buried in their phones – hunting “monsters”.
The free game uses satellite locations, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon characters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures.
Pokemon, short for “pocket monsters”, has been a constant in Japan since it was launched as software in 1996 for Nintendo’s iconic Game Boy console.
Its “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” slogan has been turned into a song.
The game has expanded into other media, most notably a hugely popular TV animation show and a recent film.
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