5 ways Pokemon Go needs to evolve in 2024

Pokemon Go is ending 2023 with many events, Pokemon debuts, and more, so let’s take a look at what happened this year to see what can be improved for the hit mobile game in 2024.

Pokemon Go is still one of the most popular mobile games in the world, and while players have been enjoying seasons full of content and new features in 2023, we can’t really say it was an exceptional year for the title.

Niantic’s hit AR game had a very rocky start of the year with a new edition of Pokemon Go Tour that had issues, and a controversy around Remote Raid Passes that made many players quit Pokemon Go altogether. Additionally, some Pokemon debuts were eclipsed by problems that didn’t let players enjoy events, with some regions being completely cut out of unique Raids while developers fixed issues.

Niantic canceling other titles after mere months of their release wasn’t giving players much hope about the future of Pokemon Go either. The second half of 2023 welcomed a wide array of new features in the form of Shadow Raids, Routes, Party Play, and more. And while all that refreshes the seven-year-old experience, none of those features was working properly at launch and were met with backlash.

So, what should Pokemon Go do to have a better 2024?

What should Pokemon Go do in 2024?

With so many good and bad things happening in Pokemon Go through 2023, developers can take stock and think about the aspects of the game that can be improved

Pokemon Go players want to catch ’em all

Pokemon debuts, especially the introduction of many species from the Paldean region, kept players engaged through some of the best Pokemon Go events in 2023. However, some players are still waiting for Gen 8 ‘Mons that were completely ignored, including the fan-favorite starters from Galar.

What’s more, while players can catch creatures from all Generations, there are still creatures missing in each one, and players keep wondering if there’s a reason behind that move.

So, Pokemon Go could benefit greatly by introducing some missing fan favorites while also improving the spawn pool with more diversity throughout the year. The Research Breakthrough rewards are another issue, as they feature almost the same encounter pool two or three seasons in a row, giving players no incentive to use the feature.

The Pokemon Go Remote Raid Pass controversy can’t happen again

The Remote Raid Pass price changed in April 2023, and was followed by one of the biggest controversies in the history of Pokemon Go. A big part of that was due to the lack of proper communication on Niantic’s side. Devs ignored players’ complaints, stating they were maintaining the game’s essence, while their audience -those who play the game- complained for weeks and tried to boycott the title.

Not too long ago, Fortnite players were also complaining about changes introduced with Chapter 5, but Epic Games listened to their player base, and their replies were celebrated by the community far and wide. Niantic could do the same to fix its rocky relationship with its player base, especially after having to launch make-up events and disclaimers after official announcements included many mistakes.

Pokemon Go is still a game

In the last couple of months, Pokemon Go added many new features that add new functions, NPCs, and ways of playing the mobile game. However, many players aren’t even trying them because the rewards are lackluster. There’s no incentive to try to play together with friends in Party Play if the rewards are items you’re going to discard right away or Pokemon you can catch any other day in the wild.

Some players feel like Niantic is forcing them to try features that aren’t fun, and all that is worse at launch since most of them had many issues or weren’t working as intended.

So, for starters, it even feels weird to say, but Pokemon Go could try to be more fun for the players. The gameplay has many new features to refresh the experience, but if these aren’t fun, what’s the point? Luckily, encountering and catching Pokemon is more than enough for many players, but others believe it’s a game with a huge wasted potential.

The mobile game landscape is extremely competitive, so many companies try to retain players with gifts, events full of rewards, and other tactics. Pokemon Go, on the other hand, seems to rely mostly on the franchise, but it could do better.

Pokemon Go players shouldn’t be testers

During the launch of some events and features, players in Australia and New Zealand felt like they were the testing ground for them since many things weren’t working and were fixed mostly thanks to their early reports. This and other failed launches left many players wondering if Niantic tests the features before adding them to the game.

Something similar can be applied to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, a game with performance issues that remain more than a year after its official release. While devs seem to be in a hurry to release new content, most players have no problem waiting a bit more if that means the new features are going to work properly from day one.

Pokemon Go PvP needs some love

Pokemon Go seasons pass, but the competitive part of the game seems to be stuck for a while now. Aside from bugs and issues, many players got tired of playing thanks to many others using the same strategies over and over, stalling and tanking matches in different ways. Pokemon has a huge competitive scene in any game with a PvP mode, but PoGo is falling behind, offering almost the same rewards every season.

Refreshing the combat system can be a huge ordeal for Niantic, but could pay off as long as they listen to players’ feedback. On the other hand, adding more PvP-focused events, limited-time rewards, and other incentives, as well as some special regulations, buffs, and nerfs that keep the meta interesting, could breathe some new life into the PvP modes.

As we mentioned, the mobile game scene can be brutal for ongoing titles, forcing devs to stay on their toes and add new content regularly to stay relevant. While nobody expects Pokemon Go to change completely in 2024, the issues we mentioned in this article can help improve the overall quality players enjoyed before and during the pandemic.

We’ll keep you updated with Pokemon Go news, events, and official announcements, but in the meantime, you can also check what’s coming with the New Year’s 2024 event and the first Community Day of 2024.