Could Pokémon GO change the way the stories are told? We asked the game’s bosses.
How much story does Pokémon GO have? There is no big, overarching story. However, different stories are told about different research, events or seasons, mainly in text form.
These texts appear in the game mainly as stories from the professor. Willow actually gives a few sentences about each research – and if you follow them, you can often read interesting information about the most important Pokémon in the research, or sometimes even very interesting stories.
Deviations from the pure text principle are rare. Exceptions were the cool Ultra Beasts teasers, which only appeared on YouTube, or the big mystery surrounding Gierspenst.
What is the problem? Many players recently reported that they simply click the professor away in Pokémon GO. They don’t really get to see any of the stories that Pokémon GO wants to tell.
We asked the game’s bosses about this.
Heavenly teamwork in Pokémon GO – a new season begins
More videos
Autoplay
Developers want to offer players both options
What do the bosses say about the story in Pokémon GO? As part of the Pokémon GO Fest in Madrid, we met Niantic CEO John Hanke and Live Game Director Michael Steranka in a roundtable interview. Among various other topics, we also addressed the topic of story.
At the GO Fest in Madrid, it was noticeable that at least a few more characters than just the professor were talking to the trainers to advance the event’s story. That’s why we asked: Is it conceivable that Pokémon GO will change its storytelling in the future, especially because many players simply click the professor away?
“Our philosophy on this type of story design is: We know that some players are very interested and have theories about why things happen in the game Pokémon GO,” says Steranka, “and some players just want to catch Pokémon.”
Pokémon GO therefore has different target groups that it has to serve. “I would like to do more in terms of storytelling,” admits Niantic boss Hanke: “But it’s true, you have to keep a balance. Some people are excited about it, others just want to get straight into the action.”
The fact that some players just click through and don’t get to see the story isn’t a problem at first, says Steranka: “We want to be able to offer players both. If you’re not that interested in the narrative aspect, you can just quickly tap through and that’s okay. We want you to make the best use of your time,” says the director.
However, he also emphasizes: “But the team puts a lot of thought and effort into building this world and this story. So there is a lot to discover for players who are interested in it.”
So at the moment it doesn’t look like the storytelling will change too much, at least in the near future – even if Hanke says he would like to do more in that direction. What do you think about the topic? Would you like to see more story elements, like in the Ultra Beast teasers? Or do you not attach any importance to story in Pokémon GO anyway? Tell us in the comments! And what else is coming up is shown in the overview of all Pokémon GO events in June 2024.