The Pokémon Company has announced a new Pokémon app for iOS and Android for release in Japan titled Pokéland. The game appears to have gameplay similar to Pokémon Rumble, which involves battling Pokémon in real time.

The announcement was made on the official Japanese Pokéland website this morning as well as the official Pokéland Twitter this morning.

The app will be entering an alpha phase starting today, May 31st and ending on June 9th. The alpha phase will only be available for Android users, with iOS access expected at a later date after the initial alpha trial period. The current alpha phase will employ 10,000 Japanese Android users on a first come, first serve basis. The alpha will feature six islands with 52 different stages, 134 types of Pokémon, and allow access to the 15th floor of the Champion Tower.

Pokéland is slated to have a second alpha stage that includes more users and iOS compatibility after its initial alpha testing phase.

Via: http://www.pokeland.jp/

Pokéland will be riding the global success of Pokémon GO, the wildly successful app that was released July 6th, 2016 to critical acclaim, boasting 21 million downloads within a week of release in the United States alone. Pokéland has the capacity to make a gigantic splash in the app market with the success of Pokémon GO and the familiarity most have with the Pokémon series in general. The addition of active gameplay as opposed to an augmented reality app may turn some users off however, as one of Pokémon GO’s main successes was its approachable design. There is no word of international release yet, although it seems highly likely that it will be announced at some point in the near future. The new app also follows the release of other Pokémon based apps like the recent Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, an app that allows smartphone users to train their own Magikarp for use in jumping contests. Although Pokémon fever may have died out after the initial success of Pokémon GO, the Pokémon Company shows no signs of stopping when it comes to smartphone apps. Keep your eyes peeled for an international alpha phase in the near future.