Pokémon GO has been at home on many smartphones for almost ten years and is very successful. What is the status of a second part?
Pokémon GO was released in 2016 and has come a long way since then. Almost ten years of gaming history – other games often release one or another sequel in such a timeframe.
However, this has never been a topic for Pokémon GO, and probably will not be, as a recent interview with Ed Wu, the President of Games at Scopely and former SVP of Pokémon GO, shows.
I think making a sequel within a franchise is clearly not the right way
, Ed Wu said in the interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
For Wu, it is essential that the Niantic games (which have now become part of Scopely) have built a large community, as they can be a part of their players’ lives almost everywhere: Developing a sequel that divides the community doesn’t really make sense. If we create something new, it has to come from a different perspective, but still with the thought of inspiring people to explore the world together.
So, we probably shouldn’t expect Pokémon GO 2.
What’s next?
The acquisition by Scopely was a topic that concerned many players. Internally, it was certainly a big adjustment, which Wu rates positively. Joining Scopely has brought fresh air
and the opportunity to expand one’s horizons after going through the acquisition process.
We have always only looked to the next week, the next quarter. This new perspective allows us to look much further into the future – more than five years, even a decade and more – and think about what we want to become and what we want to continue doing.
Moreover, Wu emphasizes that it is a major task to inspire people to explore the world with the technology. This is also a great business opportunity: There are so many markets that are growing and evolving worldwide, and new generations of people are discovering our games.
One goal should be to continue expanding the audience. Additionally, they are contemplating, as Wu states, what experiences they can create next.
In terms of Pokémon GO, it is therefore quite likely that the game will continue to grow. 2026 is a special year for the game, which is also reflected in this year’s GO Fest. This time, the event will be globally free to play. This means a lot of bonuses for everyone and could possibly bring back lapsed players. The massive appearances of legendary Pokémon at the event also indicate that this could be a goal of the event. You can find the list of over 60 legendary monsters for the GO Fest here.
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