'Pokémon GO' news: Niantic Labs debunks rumors that the AR game for Apple Watch is no longer a go

Over the weekend, a screenshot of an email made the rounds online suggesting that Niantic Labs is already scrapping plans of "Pokémon GO" coming to the Apple Watch unless the demand for it increases. This obviously alarmed players who have been pining for the partnership since it was first pitched a couple of months back. Luckily, folks behind the augmented reality (AR) game have come forward to clarify the rampant rumors.

In an official statement sent to Tech Crunch, Niantic Labs reiterated that the upcoming compatibility is still very much in development. "Thanks for checking with us! The image in that Reddit post is not real," the game developer clarified via a genuine email sent to the news outlet referring to the photo that first surfaced on a Reddit post. "Development on Pokémon GO continues, as it has since before the Apple announcement. We'll have more news on the product soon," Niantic continued.

While the confirmation has had fans eagerly anticipating their Apple Watches to house the "Pokémon GO" app, Niantic Labs' comments seem a little bit too relaxed on the idea hinting that it may take a while before the promised notion hits the ground. It can be remembered that originally, the supposed partnership was intended to happen before the year ends, but with the abundance in updates that the mobile title is undergoing, it is safe to say that development just cannot be crammed in the remaining days of 2016.

That being said, a plausible rollout date can be expected to benefit both Apple and Niantic Labs so it would probably be at a time on which they are pushing some of their causes. For example, it has long been rumored that an Apple Watch 2 is making its debut soon. Although it did not happen this year, a persistent buzz suggests that 2017 might just be the year for it — that is, of course, if the Cupertino-based company is still carrying on with its concept. A lot of reports recently deem the device, not just the one from Apple, a flop making it quite difficult to invest on the idea when it is not actually translating into projected sales.