‘Pokémon GO’ Will Be with Us for at Least Another Decade, Executive Confirms

When Pokémon GO first emerged, it became a global hit without precedent. The video game provided players with a unique experience, allowing them to come as close as possible to becoming Ash Ketchum in real time. The game has been a global phenomenon ever since its debut in 2016. It has endured in a very competitive market and is still attracting millions of players on a global scale. Now, Pokémon GO is still going strong, as the game is gearing up for its 10th anniversary, which is going to happen in a couple of years (on July 6, 2026).

And while the Pokémon game has been successful, it seems that this special game won’t be ending anytime soon, thus evading the fate of the short-lived Wizards Unite game. Namely, in a talk with one of the executives at Niantic, it has been confirmed that we can expect Pokémon GO to stick around for at least one more decade, which is absolutely great news for fans of the game.

Ed Wu is a developer and senior vice-president at Niantic, whose role in the development of Pokémon GO has been significant. He recently gave an interview to Eurogamer, confirming that the game has been on the rise and that there is a fixed plan that will keep the game active for at least ten more years, but hopefully more. Here is what he said:

“It’s bananas to think this thing is going to be going into its next decade soon. It’s not only healthy, but it’s growing. And we’re putting a lot of investment into ensuring it’s a great game and has really firm foundations for the next 10 years. As we gear up for that 10th anniversary, we want a refresh that’s befitting that next decade. We’re refreshing our avatar system next with a more improved experience, updated assets – a modern system that can offer more customisation.

When we launched, the core premise was Pokémon appeared in the real-world where you expected them to appear. We went to great lengths to pull in the right terrain data sets – I personally crunched a lot of that data myself! I knew that after all that hard work it was right. Now, as we’ve grown past the original 151, we’re making a concerted effort to go back to that biome variety.”

Source: Eurogamer

As you can see, Wu is quite satisfied with the success of the game, and there are firm plans to expand the game universe and make the game better. The goal is, as it seems, to make the game even more realistic, i.e., to have the game interact with the real-world environment in a better way. The interviewer asked whether that means that the Ice Cream Pokémon Vanillite will be seen more often near an ice cream stand (which would be similar to what Niantic uses in Pikmin), to which Wu replied: “Well, obviously we have the data. I think there’s always a balance to be had. Ice cream shops are a good one, though… There’s pretty much an ice cream shop in most towns…”.

The game has since expanded, opening a web shop even, and it seems that there is no stopping the growth of Pokémon GO, which is why we wish them many successful years ahead. As for us, be sure to keep following us for all the latest updates related to the game and Pokémon franchise in general.

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