Following the announcement thatPokémon GOand two other games from developer Niantic have beenacquired by mobile game publisher Scopely, the game’s product director addressed some pressing player concerns. First launched in 2016,Pokémon GOquickly became a widespread success, popularizing the formula later used in Niantic’sPikmin BloomandMonster Hunter Now. But now that the monster-catching game is under new ownership, fan concerns about howPokémon GOcould change are at an all-time high.
In an interview withPolygon,Pokémon GOsenior product director Michael Steranka addressed some common concerns surrounding the acquisitionand the game’s future direction under Scopely. Responding to a question regarding the potential introduction of intrusive ads toGO, Steranka answered, “definitively no,[intrusive ads and playtime restrictions are]not happening in Pokémon Go – not now, not ever.” Steranka added that the developers “will not be building into our games any type of obtrusive ads or anything like that,” further reinforcing his stance that the Scopely acquisition won’t have a negative effect on the game.
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While Niantic has publicly referred to the acquisition as a positive change, it hasn’t been enough to assuage the doubts ofconcernedPokémon GOplayers, many of whom have cited other mobile games under Scopely likeMonopoly Go!andMarvel Strike Forceas being overly monetized. For many players,the main concerns are that, under Scopely,Pokémon GOcould become more aggressively monetizedwith more intrusive ads, and features that allow players to keep up with the game for free could be removed or diminished.
Steranka has a different perspective, arguing that his interactions with Scopely have been largely positive andalleging thatPokémon GO’s development team won’t be seeing significant changes as a result of the acquisition. Regarding the game’s existing development team, Steranka toldPolygonthat “everybody’s coming along for the ride if they want to,” adding that “[Scopely]wanted to make sure that there was true continuity here and that the operational aspects of this game did not degrade.” Regardless of Steranka or Niantic’s public statements on the acquisition, some players will continue to have doubts until they are definitively proven wrong.
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It’s important to note that even prior to the announcement of the acquisition,GO’s shifting approach to monetization had already seen a fair amount of criticism from its playerbase, with a notable increase in paywalled content compared to the game’s earlier years. In a June 2024 interview withDot Esports, Steranka said that monetized features were for players who “want to invest more into this game.” AlthoughGOhas yet to see any changes as a result of the acquisition, it’s likely thatplayers will be keeping a close eye on how it handles monetization and ads in the future.
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For now, it’s uncertain whetherGOwill see any significant change in direction following the Scopely acquisition, for better or worse. But players fear that the worst features of other Scopely games might sneak their way in. Over the course ofPokémon GO’s lifespan, the game has managed a tricky balancing act between free-to-play features and monetization, and in the worst-case scenario, the game’s direction under Scopely might throw that balance off.
