Is Pokemon Go Dead? Probably

During the summer, Pokémon Go was the top game. It swept the world by storm, combining nostalgia for a beloved franchise and new, mind-blowing, augmented reality technology. The game allowed people to take to the streets, search for Pokémon, and even capture them. Gyms were placed all over the world, and users of the app took their Pokémon there to battle each other. People were even crashing their cars in attempts to catch them while driving (#worthit). To put it as simply as possible, Pokémon Go was the biggest craze of 2016, but now its 2017 and it remains to be seen if Pokémon Go will continue to be the powerhouse it once was. From strictly observation, I have noticed a lot less people playing, which arises a question. Is Pokémon Go dead?

There are a few things that supply evidence that Pokémon Go will be fading to the black history of the internet. One of which is that it has been disappointing its users by not fulfilling their expectations for updates. Since its launch in the summer, fans of the game have been begging Niantic to apply certain updates to the game, including player v. player battles, trading, and generation 2 Pokémon. These updates have been teased since early fall but were never released, leaving users nothing but frustration and boredom. Around Christmas time, Niantic announced that they would be releasing some gen 2 Pokémon, which resulted in a few, low-powered, Pokémon that could only be acquired through hatching eggs. This was the point that many fans took out their phones, deleted the app, and never looked back. Fans were once again frustrated, and became increasingly disappointed with their favorite mobile game.

There is one other reason that comes to mind, and will cause Pokémon Go problems every year. It’s winter. To play the game, users must leave the house and walk around their neighborhood until Pokémon pop up for them to catch. Your chances of finding one, while sitting on your couch is extremely rare. This was great during the summer and fall, because it was nice out and people wanted to go outside, but, once winter showed its ugly head, the walking aspect of the game became less appealing. Most people aren’t going to want to walk around in the freezing cold to play a video game. This isn’t inherently a bad thing. Common sense would dictate that people would just start playing again, once its warmer, but we no better than that. The lifespan of most apps is extremely short, remember how quickly YikYak rose to popularity, then fell off of the face of the Earth. By the time the weather breaks, people may have already forgotten about the game and moved on to some new fad.

It will take careful planning, on Niantic’s part, to keep Pokémon Go as a top seller. This may be why they are holding back on the gen 2 updates. A well timed release, perhaps in the middle of March, may bring enough attention back to the game for it to stay afloat; however, nothing is guaranteed in the cruel world of pop culture. If Niantic fails to deliver on their expectations, then Pokémon Go will almost definitely die.