It dominated our summer. Everywhere you looked, you could see someone walking around town, staring intently at their screen as they poked at their phone. People were judged by the color of their team, CP (Combat Power) meant everything, candy became a precious commodity, and walking suddenly became a lot more fun.
Released in July, Niantic Lab’s Pokemon Go was an instant hit, probably because it has been so highly anticipated by fans. It spread beyond the pre-existing Pokemon fanbase, and quickly became a national phenomenon, even getting a mention by Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign. It definitely was the most talked about mobile game of the summer.
But then, it wasn’t.
People just stopped talking about it, and in many cases, stopped playing it in general. According to Gamespot.com, Pokemon Go has lost more than 15 million users in the past month. The app, which stayed on the top of the App Store charts for the longest time, has fallen far below its coveted top spot.
Some of the reasons why people stopped playing the game include the glitches, the monotony of the game, and a lack of diverse Pokemon in their area. Tyree Singleton ’20, who still plays the game, said the glitches “can get really annoying and make the decision not to play a lot easier.” He also noted that because the game is new “of course there would be some things that would have to be sorted out.”
One major issue that convinced many to stop playing the game was the removal of the radar feature, which initially helped players find nearby Pokemon. Another factor was the server issues, which often left players unable to play to hours, or even days at a time.
Some simply found the game to be boring, especially those who were not Pokemon fanatics before the mobile game’s release. Jamie Pineda ’20 said she “feels like the game isn’t as popular anymore because it’s simply boring unless you’ve been a huge fan [of Pokemon] for a while.”
Considering that the game was initially hyped up in the pre-existing Pokemon community, it’s fitting that many of the remaining players were initially diehard fans. Pineda, who was not a Pokemon fan prior to the app’s release, only had one more thing to say, “It’s simply not lit.” That seems to be a common consensus among former players, who found an app that revolves around walking and flicking your phone to not be the most exciting game of the year.
So what’s the future of Pokemon Go? The developers are still actively working on fixing the glitches and issues with the game. Niantic Labs actually released two new updates, which added support for the Pokemon Go plus accessory, the Buddy Pokemon feature, and various bug fixes. While these updates might not bring back the players who stopped playing, they’ll definitely help with keeping the players who still faithfully play the game.
