It’s become rather ridiculous at this point to talk about Niantic’s Pokémon Go as anything other than a monster hit. Where there once was trepidation about Pokémon Go following its launch, there is now instead an overwhelming amount of support and enthusiasm for the title, all backed by one of the most enthusiastic fanbases in all of video games. Speaking with Business Insider, CEO John Hanke had quite a bit to say about both Pokémon Go and his company in the wake of a recent investment that has pushed Niantic to a value nearing four billion dollars. Hanke feels that the support that Pokémon Go has experienced and continues to experience is in no small part owed to the constant updates to the game, as well as the addition of features that fans have clamored for. Hanke says that Pokémon Go will continue to be the flagship title for the company.
What’s more, Pokémon Go was also bolstered by the synergy between it and The Pokémon Company’s own Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! this past November. With Pokémon Go integrated into Let’s Go, fans are able to transfer their Pocket Monsters from the former to the latter, which has proven to be a wildly popular addition to the long-running franchise. The companies are eager to continue this fruitful joint relationship. Speaking to the rocky 2016 debut of Pokémon Go, Hanke notes that while things were difficult at the outset, in the time since, the situation has only gotten better, with 2018 proving to be the best year yet for the title. He anticipates that 2019 will, hopefully, see this trend continue unabated.
Niantic is nothing if not ambitious, as Hanke’s plans for the company are bold and visionary. The CEO believes that there are applications for the AR technology powering Pokémon Go that extend far beyond gaming. This venture has been dubbed The Real World Platform and is meant to act as a development tool of sorts for designers to pursue uses of Niantic’s tech for everything from robotics to business software. The goal Hanke has for Niantic is to see the company be both a game developer as well as provider of developer tools (think Epic and its Unreal Engine). It’s quite the story for Niantic and one that Pokémon fans will undoubtedly continue to follow with interest as Go keeps expanding and changing with each new update.
Source: Business Insider