Pokemon Go Won’t Just Survive Coronavirus – It’ll Emerge Stronger Than Ever
Who would have thought Pokemon Go could master the art of keeping a real-world game going during an unprecedented global crisis? | Source: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
- Pokemon Go has received several updates to make it more playable during the coronavirus lockdown.
- These changes have included more accurate movement tracking and remote raid battles.
- The updates show that Niantic understands what needs to be done to help the game survive.
After that Google Maps/Pokemon prank a few years back , it might have seemed obvious that Niantic would strike gold with Pokemon Go. People are really into going outside to catch Pokemon on their phones.
While you’d think a large section of the population being stuck inside would put a damper on a game like this, that has surprisingly not been the case during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, Pokemon Go has continued to operate just as well as it did before. If anything, it’s getting even better.
The reason for this success is simple. Niantic understands what needs to be done, and then they do it.
Pokemon Go Is Surprisingly Easy to Play Inside
Pokemon Go isn’t just surviving coronavirus. It’s thriving. A game that’s all about going outside is enjoying a revenue surge during a global pandemic when billions of people have been ordered to isolate themselves indoors.
All the credit goes to developer Niantic, which has deftly adapted Pokemon Go to the average gamer’s new normal. Most crucially, location tracking has become so precise that you can even play on your apartment balcony.
It’s not just that Niantic is being nice to their players, it’s that they quickly identified this pandemic as a threat to their game’s survival. For Go to live on, it needed to become something new.
Even More Epic Changes Are Coming
And that evolution isn’t over yet, as evidenced by a spate of upcoming changes announced today .
The best one is that Pokemon Go players will soon be able to participate in raids from a distance. That means you’ll be able to join other players in battles without having to leave the comfort – and government-mandated isolation – of your home.
This is one update that I hope remains in the game even after the pandemic is over. With the right post-coronavirus tweaks, remote raids could be an excellent upgrade to the base game.
Hats off to Niantic. Who would have thought Pokemon Go could master the art of keeping a real-world game going during an unprecedented global crisis?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
