Pokémon Go in 2020: How Niantic Adapted to a World in Lockdown

The initial concept behind Pokémon GO centered on motivating individuals to discover new locations and participate in spontaneous, sizable meetups – behaviors that have been discouraged following the onset of the global pandemic.

Despite this, industry experts suggest that Pokémon GO generated more revenue in 2020 than in any previous year.

Niantic implemented a series of thoughtfully planned adjustments throughout 2020, and a number of their most significant choices are detailed below.

This can be viewed as a supplement to my previous analysis of Niantic, the EC-1 report from last year, which covered the company’s origins as a project developed internally at Google, the game Pokémon Go’s initial launch as an April Fools’ Day prank, and Niantic’s objective to establish the infrastructure for future augmented reality headset technology.

Slowing Down Development

During a press conference detailing an update released in November, Niantic representatives made a clear statement: the development plan they’ve been following for approximately the past ten months differs significantly from their initial plan at the beginning of the year. The company’s original schedule featured several new functionalities that have not yet been implemented. While they refrained from specifying exactly what those features are—likely with the intention of releasing them at a more opportune time—they determined that launching them in the current circumstances would not be practical.

As the possibility of a definitive end to the pandemic continued to be delayed, the development team shifted its focus in the first quarter of 2020 to identifying methods of enhancing existing elements and modifying current gameplay to enable players to engage more fully while reducing the need for in-person activity.

Turning the dials

As the game’s title suggests, Pokémon GO was originally designed to be experienced while actively moving around in the real world. John Hanke’s original concept for Niantic centered on creating opportunities for people to interact and play together outdoors; from the very beginning, Niantic’s initial prototype involved players navigating their cities to virtually claim territory. The company dedicated almost ten years to compiling a database of real-world locations intended to serve as in-game destinations, promoting discovery and exploration. Significant development efforts were invested in evolving Pokémon GO into a more collaborative game, often necessitating teamwork and even large-scale gatherings for its most demanding features.

The challenge then became adapting the game for play within the confines of one’s home.

The initial adjustments implemented by Niantic were those that could be made quickly and easily, yet they significantly altered the gameplay experience.

Some of the changes included:

• Expanding the range at which players could interact with in-game gyms – locations players can temporarily control for their team, earning rewards based on the duration of their control – enabling more gym battles to occur from home.
• Increasing the frequency of Pokémon appearances, substantially boosting the number of Pokémon available to encounter while at home.
• Enhancing the effectiveness of “incense,” a purchasable item that attracts more Pokémon to the player’s location. Niantic initially removed this enhancement in October, but reintroduced it in late November. The duration of incense was also doubled, reducing its overall cost.
• Enabling steps taken indoors, such as those on a treadmill, to contribute to in-game distance challenges.
• Removing the requirement for extensive walking to participate in the online player-versus-player battle feature.
• Increasing the number of items received from a player’s “buddy” Pokémon – a chosen Pokémon that can be leveled up for additional benefits – items that were previously obtained by visiting nearby “Pokéstop” locations.

Through careful adjustments and modifications to game parameters, Pokémon GO became considerably more accessible for players unable to venture outdoors. Crucially, these changes were designed to avoid disrupting the game’s core mechanics while remaining easily reversible when it became safe to resume playing in the real world.

GO Fest Adapts to a Virtual Format

Since its inception in 2017, Niantic’s annual GO Fest has been designed as an intensely focused Pokémon GO experience. Typically, the event draws large numbers of players to a single location – a park – where they collaborate on tasks and have the opportunity to encounter Pokémon not yet available for general capture.

The inaugural GO Fest encountered difficulties, including network congestion and organizational issues, resulting in player dissatisfaction, reimbursements, and legal action. Subsequent events in 2018 and 2019 were significantly improved; however, the established planning process proved unsuitable for the circumstances of the current year.

As with many other large-scale gatherings, GO Fest was compelled to transition to a virtual format, and with largely positive results.

Rather than concentrating participants in one physical space, Niantic extended the event globally, with in-game activities unfolding according to each player’s local time. While still requiring a ticket purchase, the cost was reduced to $15 from the previous $25. The company also created video content for players to view while participating, designed at-home craft activities for families, and developed worldwide challenges with collective rewards.

The virtual experience differed from the original, as players were not able to physically congregate with thousands of others, though they were still able to connect with friends. However, this change was likely beneficial given current conditions. (Many people, myself included, would prefer to avoid large crowds at this time.)

Organizing virtual events presents its own set of difficulties, but this global GO Fest successfully replicated many aspects of the in-person event. The virtual format also eliminated expenses related to venue rental, network capacity, and access control.

While some initial technical problems prompted Niantic to host a supplementary “makeup event,” the majority of players reported a positive experience. Furthermore, the event reportedly generated millions of dollars in revenue for Niantic, with $10 million being donated to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Cooperative play at a distance

“Raids,” which were first implemented in 2017, have since become a fundamental and essential feature of Pokémon GO. These function as large-scale cooperative challenges where players team up to battle powerful Pokémon, offering the opportunity to capture the game’s most formidable creatures. Up to twenty players can gather at a single location to collaborate and defeat these opponents.

Previously, when new or unique Pokémon were added to the raid lineup, it was common to observe large groups of players traveling together between raid locations, coordinating their movements through local Discord communities.

However, this type of activity became impractical during a pandemic.

Niantic addressed this issue by enabling players to participate in raids remotely, even when geographically separated. In April, the company introduced “remote raids,” where only one player needed to be physically near the raid location – even from their home or vehicle, as long as it appeared on their in-game map – and could then invite friends from a distance to join the battle. Similar to in-person raids, each participant required a “raid pass,” typically costing around one dollar, though these were sometimes distributed for free by Niantic. This maintained the raiding experience while adhering to social distancing guidelines, preserving the game’s physical aspect without promoting close physical proximity.

This represented a significant alteration to the traditional raid system, but, like other adjustments made, it adapted GO’s mechanics to the constraints of the current circumstances. The change doesn’t fundamentally alter the game, and could be undone relatively easily if conditions allow.

(This feature also provides the added benefit of fostering interaction between players globally; Niantic occasionally released certain raid Pokémon exclusively to specific regions, prompting players to exchange friend codes with individuals across vast distances in hopes of being invited to a local battle.)

Providing players with increased individual activities

Since its initial release, Pokémon GO featured a maximum player level of 40. Players achieved this milestone through consistent engagement in activities such as Pokémon capture, gym battles, and exchanging virtual gifts with fellow players.

Attaining level 40 typically required significant time and dedication – often spanning months or even years of regular play. However, once reached, progression largely ceased. While players continued to accumulate experience points (XP), exceeding the amount needed for level 40, this XP offered limited practical benefit beyond a sense of accomplishment. The majority of updates released by Niantic since the game’s launch prioritized collaborative gameplay experiences over individual pursuits.

This situation shifted earlier this month. Following a series of smaller adjustments implemented throughout the year, Niantic introduced substantial new content with the “GO Beyond” update. This update included new Pokémon to discover, a seasonal system designed to refresh gameplay every three months, and an increased level cap, raising it to 50.

Expanding the level system presented a unique challenge. Many of the game’s most devoted players had already surpassed the XP requirements for level 40 by a considerable margin. The question arose: should these players instantly advance to level 50, effectively removing further goals? Or should the XP needed for level 50 be set so high that it remained unattainable for nearly all players?

Niantic addressed this issue with an innovative solution: challenges. Players could continue to progress from levels 1 to 40 through XP accumulation. However, reaching levels 41 to 50 required both XP and the completion of progressively more demanding tasks. These challenges included winning numerous player-versus-player battles, walking long distances with a buddy Pokémon, or capturing a large number of Pokémon within a single day. Each task demanded a substantial time commitment, but could largely be completed independently or remotely, providing engagement for the entire player base without encouraging unsafe behavior.

This update serves as a compelling example of successful product adaptation – modifying game mechanics without disrupting the core experience. The existing game structure encouraged activities that could be potentially hazardous during a global pandemic.

Niantic could not simply discontinue the game, as it represented a crucial source of support for the company and its employees. Implementing hasty changes carried the risk of permanently damaging the game. Instead, they identified numerous ways to improve the experience while simultaneously promoting safer, socially distanced gameplay.