Toei Animation, in conjunction with Bandai, has just announced, Digimon Go.

As the name suggests, Digimon Go will be a Digimon oriented version of Pokemon Go. Many of the features we know and love from Pokemon Go, such as the battle system, the insane amounts of walking, the lack of variety, and having no true endgame/goals will be present in Digimon Go.

In some regards, the release of Digimon Go will be sending the Japanese media franchise back to its roots. Digimon was first created in 1997 as a series of virtual pets akin to Tamagotchi. After its immense popularity, a follow-up manga and anime series were created. The series would later go on to be adapted and aired in the U.S. in 1999, just one year after Pokemon hit the airways.

The similarities in the names, as well as the use of partners in the form of creatures, led to many school yard ‘discussions’ about which franchise is better. Many friendships were lost during this era.

However, by naming their new game, Digimon Go, the Digimon company seems to be embracing its similarities with Pokemon. Digimon Go is expected to be available on all mobile devices by the end of the year. However, if Toei Animation truly wishes to replicate Pokemon Go, then you should expect it to arrive sometime within the next 2-3 years.