Niantic has been planning for the future of Pokémon GO since before the app was launched.
The company’s CEO, John Hanke, sat down with VentureBeat last week to talk about what he and his team have been working on.
Is there going to be better development in the game?
He mentioned that a “large part” of their focus is on introducing 100 new creatures from various regions around the world via major updates over the next year. He revealed that Niantic wants to create a more “global” feel with this update, as well as one that will make the augmented reality experience even more immersive as you encounter new creatures in your area.
He discussed the thought process behind how Pokémon GO became so popular so soon after its release. Instead of creating something similar to his previous game, Ingress, Hanke, and his team tried to create a game that was very approachable for everyone. “It’s not about the 20 percent or 30 percent who are really into it or 5 percent who are really into it; it’s about 50 to 60 percent of the general population, because those are the folks who will spread it,” he said.
As far as what’s next for Pokémon GO, Hanke said they’ll keep improving everything they possibly can since people still don’t know everything there is to know about the app yet. He said that Niantic would probably continue working on major updates and bug fixes for the time being.
At this point, he doesn’t think there will be any more big-ticket updates planned, at least not until the end of the year.
Are there going to be new Pokemons added to the series?
“We’re going to continue to build on Pokémon GO, and we’re going to continue to work on those things that we can do now immediately to improve those experiences,” he said. “I would say those things are bug fixes and performance enhancements.” He also mentioned that they’d continue to tweak some components such as the gym system and gyms themselves, as well as ensure the game is easy for new players.
“There’s some things that we can do now that we don’t think of as a big update, but the stuff that’s going to be really interesting to you is going to be these global updates,” he said. “I’m pretty confident that the folks at Niantic have been working on those things.
That’s maybe two years down the road, but it’s exciting stuff.”
As for Pokémon GO itself, Hanke said they’ll continue making performance enhancements and bug fixes while also adding new features. He said they’ll be taking a “step-by-step approach,” so they’re “not going to have a big bang every six months. It’s going to be a steady state of improvements built on each other.”
“We have a long tail of things we want to add,” he said. “The key is not going to be a big bang, but a steady march.”