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Pokemon GO hits the #1 top grossing iOS spot in both the United States and Australia

S

Stereogatari

Banned
I just downloaded the APK.

Way more fun than I expected.

I think this is the next phenomenon. This is going ro go beyond the Pokemon and nostalgia demographica. This will appeal to everyone.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Bufbaf said:
I see a lot of hype in Germany actually, lots of friends and collegues picked the thing up, half of everyone I see at work is catching Pokemans all day, etc. Don't forget the thing didn't even launch yet, I have a feeling this will be way more lit than we expect
Click to expand...

Guess it really depends on who your friends are. If you're close to people following games, spend a lot of time on social media, and so on, then the likelihood of having some hype for the game is higher. Let's wait for the official launch here, but seeing as how Candy Crush Saga only caught up months after it being a hit in Asia, I assume that Germany will be lagging behind again. Perhaps media will also start reporting on it once it launches and thus increase hype for the mass market.
 
E

Exterminieren

Banned
I wish there was more nuance available in discussions about this game than "This game's shit and shallow and will disappear immediately!" and "This game's going to make Game Freak stop making their shitty irrelevant RPGs, and Nintendo's going to move everything to mobile!"
 
W

wmlk

Member
Don't want this to be a mainline game in terms of features, but the fact that you can't play with another person is baffling to me right now, especially for a game that is all about social IRL interaction.
 
C

CloudyTuba

Member
It's a hit but they better come up with some longevity support plans if they want anyone to still give a shit in three weeks. Events, new pokemon, new features, etc.

Short term they should have events in which legendary pokemon can be found in specific locations spread out across the country.
Mid term they need to introduce new pokemon and items. Maybe a new location type (special pokestops maybe).
Longer term they need to introduce some sort of local player interaction. Local players appearing on map, selectable for primitive battles (like gym battles) with 3 pokemon would do the job well.
Longest term they could introduce some sort of minor connectivity/perk/tie-in with Sun and Moon.
 
A

And_Gignac

Member
People thinking this game is just a fad that "no one will care about in a week" are up for a rude awakening. The game is a phenomenon. Pokemon hasn't been this relevant since R/B/Y.

Literally the Beyoncé of videogames.
 
J

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Okay so how does this work, I'm Mystic and I just found a Mystic gym that I battled and actually won... But now I'm not seeing myself as part of the Gym? I thought if I won, I'm now who people have to face but I'm now showing up? What gives!
 
K

Kinsei

Banned
John Harker said:
Okay so how does this work, I'm Mystic and I just found a Mystic gym that I battled and actually won... But now I'm not seeing myself as part of the Gym? I thought if I won, I'm now who people have to face but I'm now showing up? What gives!
Click to expand...

When you go to a gym another player on your team owns you don;t fight to take it over, you spar to increase it's level. Once the gym levels up you can put one of your Pokemon there so someone from another team would have to fight you both to take it over.
 
S

SoRuffShoNuff

Member
SillyNonsense said:
It's a hit but they better come up with some longevity support plans if they want anyone to still give a shit in three weeks. Events, new pokemon, new features, etc.

Short term they should have events in which legendary pokemon can be found in specific locations spread out across the country.
Mid term they need to introduce new pokemon and items. Maybe a new location type (special pokestops maybe).
Longer term they need to introduce some sort of local player interaction. Local players appearing on map, selectable for primitive battles (like gym battles) with 3 pokemon would do the job well.
Longest term they could introduce some sort of minor connectivity/perk/tie-in with Sun and Moon.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see them add actual player interaction before they add more Pokémon. Let the original Pokémon get some decent burn before you add more of the weird ones from later games. A big plus for people in my age range who don't really play video games anymore is that we actually recognize these Pokémon.
 
J

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Kinsei said:
When you go to a gym another player on your team owns you don;t fight to take it over, you spar to increase it's level. Once the gym levels up you can put one of your Pokemon there so someone from another team would have to fight you both to take it over.
Click to expand...

How do you put one there?
I didn't see that option after I won
 
S

Sammy Samusu

Member
Posted?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev...s-twitter-in-daily-active-users/#1dae6f755174

'Pokémon GO' Is About To Surpass Twitter In Daily Active Users On Android

v-twitter-1200x943.png
Click to expand...
 
B

Basileus777

Member
This game's reach is nuts. Even my workplace is getting taken over, and mostly by people who haven't played a Nintendo game in ages.
 
A

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
I have two twitter accounts. One for gaming, one for other stuff. The people on my Non-Gaming twitter, who never normally tweet about anything gaming related, are absolutely obsessed with this game.

I really think Nintendo missed a trick by not linking this to My Nintendo. They're actively depriving themselves of new users.
 
T

Terrell

Member
Battery depletion concerns and server issues are going to reduce a lot of interest in it for several people, since several people people are unlikely to pick up the Go Plus device to continue enjoying it to work around the battery concerns.

And this is without factoring in the fact that PokeGo plays fundamentally different from the core experience, which will eventually turn off people who are familiar with the standard gameplay and see it as a "stripped-down" experience.

It's not a game that's likely to fade away any time soon, but its explosive popularity will certainly diminish if these concerns aren't immediately addressed.

Nirolak said:
I think the big takeaway is that there's a major audience for Pokemon on mobile that they will continue working to capitalize on.

Pokemon Shuffle had some success. Not sure how the chess game thingy is doing.
Click to expand...

The real way to capitalize on the success of it (in my mind, anyways) is to introduce a mobile app that lets you battle other trainers in the real world with the Pokemon you collect. Each player becomes the "Bug Catchers" of the real world essentially, and would alert you of battles only in situations where people are carrying around Pokemon of nearly the same level as you are, and allow you to engage in trades, on top of finding "wild" Pokemon.

This opens up the opportunity for the mythical "console Pokemon" or "PC Pokemon" people want, as it does not take away aspects of the game that people love about the handheld games, and allows people to play without the console/handheld/PC game by monetizing that experience for those individuals instead.

Everybody wins in that scenario.
 
S

Striek

Member
Crazy popular game right now at my work and social circles. Mostly 25-35y.o blue-collar labourers.

It'll be interesting to watch this games performance in the next couple months. I wouldn't be shocked if it burns bright but fast. Other than tapping into nostalgia I don't see whats going to keep people coming back.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Terrell said:
Battery depletion concerns and server issues are going to reduce a lot of interest in it for several people, since several people people are unlikely to pick up the Go Plus device to continue enjoying it to work around the battery concerns.

And this is without factoring in the fact that PokeGo plays fundamentally different from the core experience, which will eventually turn off people who are familiar with the standard gameplay and see it as a "stripped-down" experience.

It's not a game that's likely to fade away any time soon, but its explosive popularity will certainly diminish if these concerns aren't immediately addressed.
Click to expand...

You seem to fail to understand that this app is popular because it's fundamentally different from the gameboy RPG that people can't seem to let the fuck go.

It's immensely simple to pick up and play as is, and it's a game that actively stimulates people going outside, talking to eachother, socializing and showing off their 'mons.
Turning off the hardcore Poke-fanbase that just wants the same game again is an acceptable loss compared to grabbing the millions of people that don't normally play games and now discover how much fun it is to go hunting for Pokemon outside.

This game is for everyone, not just fans of the Pokemon games. Also, battery depletion concerns are going to turn into a booming market for aftermarket battery packs and chargers. It's already happening.
 
W

wrowa

Member
Shiggy said:
Guess it really depends on who your friends are. If you're close to people following games, spend a lot of time on social media, and so on, then the likelihood of having some hype for the game is higher. Let's wait for the official launch here, but seeing as how Candy Crush Saga only caught up months after it being a hit in Asia, I assume that Germany will be lagging behind again. Perhaps media will also start reporting on it once it launches and thus increase hype for the mass market.
Click to expand...

I spent 20 minutes with the game outside today (my first time playing it, actually) and in that time I came across three groups of roughly a dozen people each who were standing around spots where someone used a lure module.

This thing hasn't even officially launched here yet and it's already very, very present. There's literally not a single to reason to expect that it won't be a huge hit here as well (because it already kinda is).
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
wrowa said:
I spent 20 minutes with the game outside today (my first time playing it, actually) and in that time I came across three groups of roughly a dozen people each who were standing around spots where someone used a lure module.

This thing hasn't even officially launched here yet and it's already very, very present. There's literally not a single to reason to expect that it won't be a huge hit here as well (because it already kinda is).
Click to expand...

Same here in the Netherlands. Shit has spread like wildfire even without an official launch. It's insane to think how much it'll blow up once it actually hits the store.
 
S

Swimmer9800

Member
As a 17 year old, everyone I know is playing and talking about this game. The game is just dangerous. Too many teens driving around with thier phones out at all times. I've seen it first hand ok a few occasions since release.
 
A

AdventureRacing

Member
I was planning to come here and say that I hadn't really noticed the game taking off around where I live. But nope it's now blowing up my facebook and I've heard people talking about it that I never would have expected. The games a monster.

Will be interesting to see how long Nintendo can keep this going but it's a great sign for the future of nintendo.
 
M

malboroking

Banned
Oxn said:
I want it to tank.

If it doesn't, then it gives Nintendo the idea that they can just release garbage games and slap a big name on it and itll do big numbers.
Click to expand...

It must make you so mad that the filthy casuls are having fun with a simple silly game like Pokémon GO.


wrowa said:
I spent 20 minutes with the game outside today (my first time playing it, actually) and in that time I came across three groups of roughly a dozen people each who were standing around spots where someone used a lure module.

This thing hasn't even officially launched here yet and it's already very, very present. There's literally not a single to reason to expect that it won't be a huge hit here as well (because it already kinda is).
Click to expand...

Same here. Went on a walk today and saw multiple groups of people gathering together, socializing and having fun with people they don't even know. United in their love of Pokémon. But you know, the games dumb and you're dumb if you enjoy it.
 
T

Terrell

Member
Hoo-doo said:
You seem to fail to understand that this app is popular because it's fundamentally different from the gameboy RPG that people can't seem to let the fuck go.

It's immensely simple to pick up and play as is, and it's a game that actively stimulates people going outside, talking to eachother, socializing and showing off their 'mons.
Turning off the hardcore Poke-fanbase that just wants the same game again is an acceptable loss compared to grabbing the millions of people that don't normally play games and now discover how much fun it is to go hunting for Pokemon outside.

This game is for everyone, not just fans of the Pokemon games. Also, battery depletion concerns are going to turn into a booming market for aftermarket battery packs and chargers. It's already happening.
Click to expand...

I don't fail to understand its appeal. I fail to see how its current appeal is going to maintain itself, which you appear to believe will happen just because.

It is very pick-up-and-play, but if it's easy to pick up and play, it's just as easy to put down and stop, and measures will need to be taken to counter-act that to stem the potential loss of users.

I am not saying popularity will plummet off a cliff and die a swift death, but its current cultural phenomenon status is unlikely to survive. It will maintain a level of players to keep it relevant and financially successful for several years to come, but not at its current level. If you think to the contrary, that's fine, because there's not nearly enough information to make a conclusive decision either way. But when it comes to how the history of cultural phenomena and the history of app popularity typically map out, the data doesn't favour the unrestrained upward momentum you seem to give it so lightly.

You also must consider that the hardcore Pokemon fanbase is the game's strongest and most vocal advocates and keeping them engaged has a strong value. Your "fuck those people" attitude around that is also terribly reductive, because they're the ones that have kept Pokemon a part of the cultural zeitgeist for so long that it makes something like Pokemon Go and its current massive popularity possible in the first place.

And I'd actually need some hard data that a single app is somehow going to invigorate the after-market battery expansion, because I doubt that people are going to buy a $100 battery backup when they aren't likely to buy the $30 accessory that alleviates those battery concerns in the first place. Especially when battery depletion concerns have sunk other equally good (and more utilitarian) apps' ability to achieve success in the market before.
 
W

wrowa

Member
Yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable to question its long-term appeal in its current form. It's truly fascinating and already at this point it brings people together, but it is quite limited in what you can actually do. Whether or not this is enough to keep people interested after the first novelty has worn off is definitely a legitimate question.

Even then, though, the app is used by so many people already that a drop-off is just to be expected and it definitely has enough breathing room that even when this happens it will likely remain very, very healthy and extremely profitable for quite some time.

What's interesting to me, though, is that the core mechanics aren't actually all that social, since you can't interact with other people in-game. This definitely is the one important area that needs improving: The game needs trading (this is what made Pokemon so extremely popular in the first place [they definitely should not allow online trading, though]) and fights against other trainers, so that the people who care have something they can actually use their Pokemon for.

And another thing: Battery packs aren't $100, you can get them for a tenth of that. :p
 
K

KAL2006

Banned
wrowa said:
Yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable to question its long-term appeal in its current form. It's truly fascinating and already at this point it brings people together, but it is quite limited in what you can actually do. Whether or not this is enough to keep people interested after the first novelty has worn off is definitely a legitimate question.

Even then, though, the app is used by so many people already that a drop-off is just to be expected and it definitely has enough breathing room that even when this happens it will likely remain very, very healthy and extremely profitable for quite some time.

What's interesting to me, though, is that the core mechanics aren't actually all that social, since you can't interact with other people in-game. This definitely is the one important area that needs improving: The game needs trading (this is what made Pokemon so extremely popular in the first place [they definitely should not allow online trading, though]) and fights against other trainers, so that the people who care have something they can actually use their Pokemon for.

And another thing: Battery packs aren't $100, you can get them for a tenth of that. :p
Click to expand...

Online trading is an awful idea and the game loses its aappeal. People will just sit at hometrading online all day instead of going out and finding Pokemon.

Ideally they should add local trading and battling to improve the social aspect of the game aandand depth .
 
C

CloudyTuba

Member
According to Business Insider: Looks like there are indeed plans for expansion.

http://www.businessinsider.com/pokmon-go-will-get-pokmon-trading-2016-7

And for fans of the classic "Pokémon" games, there's one forthcoming feature that stands above the rest: The ability to trade your hard-collected Pokémon with friends and strangers.

"It's kind of a core element," CEO John Hanke says.
Click to expand...

Other new features include more ways to play with Pokéstops and Gyms.
Right now, they only exist in their "very most basic versions," Hanke says, but players will be able to "customize their functions in other ways."
Click to expand...

Otherwise, Hanke says that there's going to be improvements to the game's augmented reality, or AR technology, which uses your phone's camera to make it look like Pokémon are in your home, on your sidewalk, or riding your bus. He says that this was a "great first step," but there's a lot more they can do.
Click to expand...

Glad to learn this because I am concerned with longevity. Theyre not done with it yet.
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Super Member
The game's accessibility is the best part. I feel it will end if you add hundreds more Pokemon. It will end if they add continent/country/city exclusive Pokemon. Gimmick hunting made me quit during Gen III. I own later gen games, but this one feels like I can enjoy collecting again.
 
W

wrowa

Member
KAL2006 said:
Online trading is an awful idea and the game loses its aappeal. People will just sit at hometrading online all day instead of going out and finding Pokemon.

Ideally they should add local trading and battling to improve the social aspect of the game aandand depth .
Click to expand...

That's why I said they should NOT add online trading. Trade should only be allowed with nearby people.
 
T

Torokil

Member
Downloaded last night, I don't really get the hype. I guess now I know how my parents felt back in the late 90s, lol.

I would be all over ports of older Pokemon games though, c'mon Ninty.
 
C

Chaos17

Member
Jim_Cacher said:
From the other thread, someone said trading was stopped as the rise hit daily limit. This is insane.
Click to expand...

Missed that!
I didn't know there was a daily limit for trading.

Torokil said:
Downloaded last night, I don't really get the hype. I guess now I know how my parents felt back in the late 90s, lol.

I would be all over ports of older Pokemon games though, c'mon Ninty.
Click to expand...
The appeal is pretty simple: "treasure hunting" then after pvp.

Just like how those girls worked to go get that gym on the water!
MBvQ6gN.png
 
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