The PvP league has officially started in Pokémon GO and brings a lot of rewards and tasks for you. In an interview, employees from Niantic revealed how the PvP feature is set to remain exciting in the future.
Who was interviewed? We from MeinMMO had the opportunity to speak with Matt Slemon. He is the Lead Product Manager at Niantic and had a lot to say about the new PvP league.
Particularly interesting is the future of the feature. He has already promised some things that are coming up or that Niantic is already working on.
PvP league will be kept exciting permanently
This is done through the ranking system: Slemon confirms that Niantic has realized that the ranking system in the test phase was not easy to understand. He explains this by stating that they have changed a lot behind the scenes and tried new things.
We found that players at level 20 or 30, for example, reached rank 7 but were far from rank 8, which was demotivating. (…) These players then faced hard level 40 grinders. (…) I think we now have a system that should solve both cases.
Matt Slemon
With the start of Season 1, several changes have been made to the ranking system, and unfair matches should now occur less frequently.
Changes to attacks should bring fresh wind: Slemon promises regular attack changes, so the meta in PvP does not always stay the same, but new Pokémon bring fresh wind. He says:
We are trying to move away from weakening the value [of Pokémon]. (…) What we will do, however, is to bring new attacks to Pokémon GO. We will also add existing attacks to Pokémon that they could not learn before. (…) I think this will happen relatively regularly. Every 1-2 months, approximately.
Matt Slemon
Slemon also says that we will soon notice a new attack change. This will not happen with the start of Season 1, but it is realistic that the attack change will come to Pokémon GO during the season.
The attack changes could significantly shake up the meta again. Recently, Lucario suddenly became the strongest fighting attacker with Aura Sphere, even though it was previously significantly weaker.
Themed events should bring more variety: Another point that Slemon addresses is the introduction of theme cups. For special events, only Pokémon of specific types may be usable. This could force trainers to focus on these types.
However, Slemon dampens premature hopes. He says: “That could happen later in the game.” We will have to wait for this option a bit longer.
Niantic could orient itself a little towards the cups of TheSilphRoad. There, different types are highlighted each month. Trainers may only use monsters of these types.
Another way to obtain rare Pokémon is the upcoming special research with Genesect:
Will there be more PvP events? Currently, the event celebrating the release of the PvP league is taking place. Such events could occur more frequently in the future. Slemon says:
I think there will be such events in the future! We will see more events in the future that also keep the PvP league in mind. It is not always the case that you can prepare trainers for the PvP league with it, because everything you do in the game prepares you for the PvP league. (…) I think players will see the upcoming events a bit differently when thinking about the PvP league.
Matt Slemon
Niantic thus indicates that they will also keep an eye on the PvP league in future events, but the focus will be solely on PvP. In the end, double candies or more Stardust also provide advantages for the league. Events will definitely happen in the future.
What about the rewards? Currently, you can obtain Giratina from the PvP league. Slemon confirmed that Voltolos will be available until the end of its raid time. He also said about future rewards:
We do not want the PvP league to be a completely standalone system. We do not want someone to be able to play Pokémon GO just by using the PvP league. (…) However, we want the rewards to be balanced compared to other actions in the game. Legendaries are interesting (…) and it is planned that we will do something like that for events in the future.
Matt Slemon
There will not be permanent legendary Pokémon as rewards, but Niantic plans similar events in the future. Slemon believes that this has been well received by the trainers, and they will take this feedback into account.
Nevertheless, not everything can be obtained through the PvP league. Raids or field research will not be replaced by it in the future.
Another way to obtain rare Pokémon is the upcoming special research with Genesect:
