POKÉMON GO LIVE IN JAPAN FOR FIELD TEST

The real-life Pokemon game is coming this year.

The Pokémon Company and developer Niantic are about to hold a "field test" for their upcoming mobile game Pokémon Go.

The test will invite a limited number of players to use the app before launch. The idea is for the early users to offer feedback to be incorporated in the game's final release. Which is to say, despite the wording, that it's pretty much a beta test.

Pokemon Go will let players catch, train, and battle monsters in the real world, though Niantic has yet to provide any specifics on how this will work. Users will be able to play the game with an optional device called Pokemon Go Plus. Much like a smartwatch, it can be worn on the wrist and used to execute in-game actions such as catching a Pokemon. The device will connect to smartphones using Bluetooth, and will flash its LED and vibrate to notify players about nearby Pokemon.

Pokemon Go is expected to be available on the App Store and Google Play in 2016 as a free download. The game will also have in-app purchases.

Niantic, which spun off from Google in 2015, raised $20 millionfrom a round of investors that included The Pokemon Company, Google, and Nintendo last year. Just last week, Niantic raised a further $5 million, according to GI.biz.