One year
ago, in July of 2016, a new augmented reality mobile game, Pokémon Go, took the
entire world by storm. By entire world, I do mean the entire world. This
statement does not just include gamers or longtime Pokémon fans, as Pokémon Go
invaded the mainstream in a way few other video games ever had. The instant
popularity of the game coupled with mainstream coverage drew in even more
players to the mobile app. The result was millions of people all across the
world roaming around parks and neighborhoods, staring at their phone screens in
search of mythical creatures. It really was like we had temporarily entered
into some bizarre version of modern society. One year later, the buzz and popularity
has significantly died down, leaving a much smaller group of hardcore fans
still hoping to “catch ‘em all.” Despite the significantly smaller player base,
Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, is still making efforts to support
their mobile game. Their efforts have resulted in a much deeper and better game
than we had at launch, and has even inspired some Pokémon Go resurgences. On
July 20th, 2017, we awoke to quite possibly the biggest news to hit Pokémon
Go fans to date. The arrival of Legendary Pokémon.
After the
initial decline in popularity of Pokémon go, there were a couple of updates
that caused small resurgences of the larger player base. One such update was
the addition of gen 2 Pokémon, which added dozens of new creatures for fans to
try and capture and add to their Pokedex. The latest major update to the game
was the addition of raid battles, which allowed players to gather in groups of
up to 20 in order to battle strong Pokémon, ranging from common to very rare. This
mechanic has provided the game with its latest resurgence and newfound depth. More
than that, however, this addition of raid battles actually paved the way for today’s
huge announcement about the arrival of Legendary Pokémon, as it appears these Pokémon
will only be available for capture via very special raid battles.
Fans have
been clamoring for the arrival of Legendary Pokémon such as Articuno, Zapdos,
and Moltres ever since the game’s launch. During Pokémon Go’s very first reveal
trailer, an epic battle between hundreds of players and Mewtwo was shown. This
trailer, and that epic battle, set the standard for what was expected from Pokémon
Go, but it never came. When raid battles arrived, a shimmer of hope was shown,
as players were finally able to battle together against one Pokémon in hopes of
defeating and capturing it as a group. While this was a step in the right
direction, there was still no sign of Legendary Pokémon. That is exactly why today’s
announcement is such a big deal. It is finally fulfilling a promise of a game
mechanic that Niantic promised fans over 1 year ago.
Legendary raid battle promised in the original reveal trailer way back in September 2015 |
Legendary raid battles reconfirmed for July 2017 |
The way that
Niantic is rolling out Legendary Pokémon is actually incredibly interesting and
wholly unique. On July 22nd, the world’s first Pokémon Go fest will
be held at Chicago’s Grant Park. This is an event where thousands of Pokémon fans,
who bought tickets for the event, will gather together for a day filled with
battling and capturing Pokémon. There are incentives in place for fans at the
event and around the world to capture as many Pokémon as possible, because if a
goal is reached, then the very first Legendary Pokémon will spawn for event
goers at Grant Park. If the Players at Pokémon Go Fest manage to defeat their
Legendary Pokémon, then that Pokémon will begin to spawn in raid battles for nonevent
goers all around the world. While this requirement to unlock Legendary Pokémon
is almost guaranteed to be reached, it’s still a very unique way to get players
everywhere involved and reinvested with Pokémon Go.
One year
after the launch of the global phenomenon that was Pokémon Go, we are still
getting new and exciting information about the mobile app that has fans all
around the globe buzzing. This is just a testament to the impact that Niantic’s
app has had, and to the Pokémon franchise in general. While not the mainstream
hit that it once was, Pokémon Go is still captivating fans and gamers alike
with its continued evolution. The news of the release of Legendary Pokémon
already has the internet buzzing and is sure to start another resurgence for
the mobile app that will bring many lapsed Pokémon Trainers back out into the
wild for another epic summer of Pokémon Go. Keep an eye out for more news pertaining
to Legendary Pokémon, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Go fest, and happy hunting!
Images courtesy of the Pokemon and Pokemon Go YouTube channels
No comments:
Post a Comment