A couple of weeks after it’s launch, Pokemon Go became the most downloaded game in recent years with over 30 million people worldwide.
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“Pokemon GO” offered a potential way out of its hole. Indeed, the mobile title has certainly exceeded expectations put in place by both developer Niantic and Nintendo, although some fans aren’t so keen about the way the game now plays. John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, took the stage to discuss the game and what we can expect for the future.
They went with AR instead of a VR experience because it’s “a way to enhance things that we already do, make everything more fun and add a little more happiness and joy and intrigue to life”, Hanke said.
Pokemon Go is set to get several new features including new Pokemon, ability to trade Pokemon with users across regions, and also customisable PokeStops.
Hanke also teased that there is other functionality they want to bring to the game, including new Poke Stop customizations, including hospitals and other capabilities.
After all, it would only be rational to see a sky-high demand from the game’s country of origin.
The augmented reality venture between Nintendo, Pokemon Company and developer Niantic tasks wannabe trainers with hitting the streets to catch Pokemon using Google Maps, GPS and smartphone cameras. However, no user has been able to find this Easter egg, or any other one yet.
He said that connecting with people, going outside, and exploring are the actions that are going to help get us through the period we’re going through as a society – “so share it”.
The small team at Niantic Labs, founded internally at Google and spun into an independent entity past year, has struggled to keep the game’s servers running as more users join, Mr Hanke said, and their current priority was to prevent servers from crashing. “We don’t have an exact date, but it’s at the top of our priority list”. The options are Team Instinct, Valor, and Mystic led by Spark, Candela, and Blanche respectively.
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Many players at the panel had hopes that a rare Pokemon may have been released just for them, but Mr Hanke disappointed them, saying no new rare creatures were at the convention.
