LOS ANGELES:  Fans who play Pokemon late into the night have a new incentive to get to bed in the form of a sleep app that rewards them with the franchise’s signature monsters.

Pokemon Co and Niantic, two of the companies behind the wildly popular Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile game, released Pokemon Sleep this month.

The app monitors sleep through the user’s phone, placed on the bed. Players receive Pokemon when they wake up, more for the deepest slumber.

Originating in Japan in the 1990s, Pokemon, named for “pocket monsters,” spawned a global multi-billion dollar media franchise spanning trading cards, games, TV shows and movies.

The role-playing game pits colorful anime creatures and their human trainers against each other. The characters including lovable yellow Pikachu have different powers, such as the ability to paralyze attackers.

“Pokémon Sleep provides another opportunity for anyone with a smart device to interact with Pokémon and provides an opportunity to look forward to waking up in the morning and also to get lots of sleep,” said Yuri Horie, product marketing manager at The Pokémon Co.

Reuters