Which April Fools’ Day project inspired the concept of Pokémon Go?

Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge inspired the concept of Pokémon Go.

Google released the project on April 1, 2014, as an April Fools’ Day feature. It allowed users to search Google Maps for Pokémon and imagine catching them in locations around the world.

The project was created by Google engineer Tatsuo Nomura as a 20-percent project. Niantic founder John Hanke saw the demonstration and proposed developing a full Pokémon game based on exploring the real world.

The eventual Pokémon Go used Niantic’s existing location-based technology from Ingress, together with map data and real-world points of interest. The game launched in 2016 and turned the playful mapping idea into a large-scale mobile experience involving GPS, augmented reality, PokéStops, and Gyms.