Pokémon GO developer Niantic has revealed the 2022 roadmap for the game.
The studio has stated that it will be focusing its efforts on "improving Pokémon GO and bringing fun, exciting updates to Trainers around the world," and has admitted that it has been hard to implement ideas based on the company's three core 'pillars' – real-world social interaction, exercise and exploration – over the past two years, a reference to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Here's what Niantic has planned for 2022:
Continuing global events with Pokémon GO Tour: After your enthusiastic response to Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto last year, we’re bringing the next iteration — Pokémon GO Tour: Johto — to Trainers on February 26 and 27, 2022. This year, Trainers around the world will be able to play wherever they are, and Trainers in Monterrey, Mexico, or Kaohsiung, Taiwan, will be able to participate in live events. Some of the new features for this year’s Pokémon GO Tour include GO Gym Trainers—each of which is inspired by a contest-winning Trainer from our community—that you’ll be able to opt in or out of battling once you’ve faced a certain number of them. This way, you’ll be able to choose between engaging in more challenging battles or shifting your focus toward other features of the event. On top of that, there’s new Masterwork Research featuring Apex Shadow Pokémon.
GO Battle League improvements: First of all, we’d like to sincerely thank you all for your support of the GO Battle League! We’re always working on refining the experience, and we’re currently prioritizing a number of updates and improvements—including urgent bug fixes—that we’ll share more about in an upcoming Dev Diary. Stay tuned!
Postcard Update: We’re so happy to see you all enjoying the new Postcard Book feature! We’re working on adding additional functionality, like notifications, sticker saving, an expanded Gift maximum, new Postcard sorting methods, and new Postcard notes!
Seasonal Update: We were happy to see that Trainers enjoyed both Hoopa’s mischief and the mystery of the door Professor Willow discovered. In the coming Season, we’re looking forward to sharing several seasonal Special Research stories with you, with a focus on smaller-scale adventures. Stay tuned for more details on what else we have in store for the next Season!
Community Day Update: The last two years have been hard on us all, and we are continually exploring ways to enhance the sense of community our Trainers feel around the world. Our first ever Community Day Classic was one such experiment, and we’ve also been testing community-hosted events on a smaller scale. We will continue to explore the concept of Community Day to keep our events fresh and exciting.
Are any of your concerns with the game addressed in these plans? What else would you like to see in Pokémon GO? Let us know with a comment below.
[source pokemongolive.com]
Comments 8
They're not really saying much here, are they?
More or less 'business as usual'.
(coughs) I haven't heard that name in years
It's hard to call this a roadmap, it's just exactly the same stuff but "more".
The current Johto tour ticket has been a season pass in disguise, and will probably be the focus of all future "seasons".
I've been playing the game for 6 years since the game launched and the last 2 years I've hardly had the motivation to play or do any events/raids. Really has not been any major update since the Gen 6 launch & level 50 cap increase in November 2020 and even that was not a big deal (levels require stupid amounts of EXP and quests to attain after level 40 and just are not worth the grind). To me, the game has been pretty much dead. I'm really just dropping in occasionally to get the straggler Gen 3&4 Pokemon I'm missing and any new Mega Evolutions which have been releasing at a snail's pace.
I've been playing the game for 6 years since the game launched and the last 2 years have been the best two years yet. The introduction of remote raid passes in 2020 and the slow but steady release of new research quests, Pokémon and shinies has kept my friends and I hooked since the Gen 6 launch & level 50 cap increase in November 2020. Once you get above level 40 the amounts of EXP and quests to level up provide just the right amount of motivation to continue the grind and makes reaching that next level all the more satisfying. To me, the game has never been more alive. I drop in daily to shiny hunt, work on requests, exp gains, medals, level up my buddy and pvp Pokémon, find Gen 3&4 Pokemon I'm missing and any new Mega Evolutions which have been releasing at a slow pace so they don’t burn through all of them too fast.
GO is a grind, but if you are grinding with people you like it’s well worth it. It gives my son and I a chance to get outdoors. As we walk, we talk. It’s been great for that.
We are pretty excited about this weekend. Hopefully will fill up the Pokédex with the final few we need from the region.
I've also been playing for the last 6 years. Aside from the level cap update there hasn't been any significant content updates for years now. Someone who opened the game in 2019 vs now would be greeted to just about the same experience. I'm now way past burnout. I open the game every few weeks to see if there's anything truly new, but then close it again after catching a few of the same Pokemon I originally caught years ago.
can't wait until Hoenn Tour in 2023 to hopefully complete the region pokedex
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