Pokemon Go: Core gameplay still vital to success but Niantic title has big future in AR

NIANTIC'S John Hanke says that Pokemon Go needs fun and compelling core gameplay to be a success and can't just rely on the emerging Augmented Reality platform to be a hit.

 

Pokemon Go will need to impress with it gameplay style to win over a dedicated fanbase

 

The new Pocket Monsters title from the troika of the Pokemon Company, Niantic and Nintendo is set for launch this year and will allow fans to explore the real-world by traveling to different locations to catch Pokemon and battle rivals.

News has been sparse on the title for some time, although developers have started to confirm key gameplay features in recent months, such as specially located rare Pokemon and the chance to visit gyms to train your team.

One thing that Hanke has spoken more on is what he believes will be vital for Pokemon Go to be a success when launched on Android and Apple platforms.

 

Pokemon Go will be released in 2016

 

Speaking to Venture Beat, Hanke explained that the AR platform is set to be a great home for Pokemon Go but will not be able to rely solely on the gimmick of the emerging gaming market to be a success.

"We’ve seen this with platforms throughout the history of video games. It’s about what’s fun in the game and creating new and fun game experiences," he said.

"The hardware enables that, but it’s not about the hardware. It’s about the experience enabled through it. It’s understanding, for any piece of hardware, what it does that the hardware before it couldn’t, and how you make a game that takes advantage of that.

"That’s what we’re focused on. We’re trying to anticipate that and make sure we’re on a solid footing, make sure we’re writing our games for the smartphones that exist today, but absolutely being ready to take advantage of new hardware in the future."

 

Speaking on the title's future in AR and moving away from smartphones, Hanke added: "Magic Leap is coming. Microsoft is there. HTC is going to build AR. I’ve seen some interesting stuff from other companies.

"It’s really hard to predict exactly how long it’s going to take [For a successful device to launch]. I think it’s more like four to five years than two to three. But I don’t think it’s 10.

"Yeah, you get your head out of the phone and hopefully take in more of what’s around you.

"You’ll get some more interesting visuals. That will be novel for people. It’ll be exciting. Ingress will be enhanced greatly when those devices come to market, as will Pokémon Go and other games we make. It’s going to elevate."