Pokémon GO Fest 2022: Makers about “really powerful mix” of events
Last weekend flocked Pokémon GO fans from all corners of the world Berlinat am Pokemon GO Fest 2022 to participate. The Britzer Garten in the capital became a meeting point for tens of thousands of players, some of whom had to travel enormous distances.
PlayCentral was also on hand to help Michael Steranka, the director of the mobile hit at developer studio Niantic, to speak. What he told us in the interview about the return of this type of live events revealed, you will find out in the following lines.
Niantic’s goal with the comeback of live events
PlayCentral: Due to the restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic, large events like this were not possible for a long time. How does it feel to be back at a live event like this, and what do you think the future holds for Pokémon GO Fest?
Michael Steranka: Honestly it is a emotional feelingto be back at an event like this. I’m sure you have tens of thousands of players out here with smiling faces have seen. It’s just so much different and so much better than anything you can experience in this game or anywhere else. So yeah, I’m very excited and emotional to be back and to see this.
As for the future of Pokémon GO Fest: I mean, we’re ready to get back on the road. We want to take this experience to the whole world. We want players to remember what it’s like to be together in person again and just experiencing the joy of this game together as a community. We are therefore very excited about the future of live events.
Do you think there could be more events like this in the future?
Michael: There’s nothing to announce as to the number or frequency, but I think it’s clear that the demand for it is huge. We want to make sure that as many players as possible can have this experience.
Pokémon GO was a worldwide phenomenon, especially in the first few months after launch. How do you plan to continue to unite the global player community, both with live and hybrid events as well as online-only events?
Michael: It’s a difficult balancing act. If you look at the current season of Pokémon GO, we have one really strong mix from live events and GO Fest and also really cool global events like the Ultra Unlock series.
We must also be very careful, because we don’t want to expect too much from the players and overwhelm everyone. So the team has gained a lot of experience over the years, before the pandemic and during the pandemic, to a good balance between the different experiences for all players around the world.
The importance of the Pokémon GO community
Last year, numerous Pokémon GO players started the #HearUsNiantic campaign on social media. How has this campaign influenced your work and what do you think is particularly positive about such community campaigns?
Michael: This community is great because of their ability to mobilize and unite, and because they so passionate for Pokemon GO. With the HearUsNiantic campaign, we definitely heard the players. She made us reconsider and understand our way of looking at this product, what it means to explore the world together.
Ultimately, our mission is always about to get people outsideto discover new places and create those face-to-face interactions in the real world. We’ll continue to push this as much as we can, but we always listen to player feedback and take it into account when designing the product and the game.
I think we’ve struck a good balance in terms of the options you have when you’re at home, but we really want Pokémon GO to be the first thing players think of when they step foot in front of the Set door and move in the real world.
The plan is working!
Michael: Yes! I think in the last two years a lot of people have forgotten what it’s like to be human and to be part of this incredible community. I’m just so thankful that people are still willing to do this, and I think the more people experience this, the more people will remember what makes Pokémon GO different from other games.
Which Pokémon GO feature has proven particularly helpful for community cohesion over the past two years, and what have been the biggest challenges during that time – and why?
Michael: I think that was the best feature in the last two years definitely the remote raid feature. This has allowed players to connect with each other globally, even when unable to raid together due to the pandemic.
I think the biggest challenge we’ve faced so far has to do with the fixed facilities and that’s something which is very important to us… That just made it possible to play the entire game from home and that was necessary for two years.
But now that we’re going back into the world and trying finding a new sense of normalitywe really want to make sure nobody is playing everything in Pokémon GO from home.
We really want people to get outside to catch and research Pokemon, but we’ve also kept many of the features that we’ve introduced over the last two years, such as remote raiding or daily encounters, daily field researchthat you received and such things that still contribute to the ability to play Pokémon GO from home.
How was the contact between you at Niantic and the community in the last two years? Was there any news from players that particularly encouraged you or touched you emotionally during this time?
Michael: yeah it’s really funny you know It’s easy to see a lot of player base frustration on social media, but what people don’t always see is, that we receive hundreds of letters from players from all over the worldin which they thank Niantic for making a game that has helped them overcoming social fears, physical disabilities and other thingswhich no other game has managed.
When I look at these types of messages and letters that we receive that are very personal, this is very inspiring for me. And when I look around here and see people from all over the world, different ages and backgrounds coming together and playing this game, I know that we have achieved something that is important to them. I feel very honored to be able to work on a product like this.
Thank you for taking the time for this interview!
Note: This interview has been shortened and condensed.
Reference-www.playcentral.de
