We asked Michael Steranka from Niantic why so few new Pokémon appeared in the wild of Pokémon GO in 2024. In the interview, he talks about how Pokémon GO releases new monsters and where improvements may need to be made.
Who’s speaking? Michael Steranka is the “Director Live Game” for Pokémon GO and regularly talks about topics such as new features and current developments surrounding the game.
This is the topic: MeinMMO met Steranka for an interview at GO Fest Madrid 2024. One of the topics that bothered players this year was the fact that Pokémon GO 2024 only released a single monster in the wild for many months: Slither, which appeared as part of the biome update.
Other new Pokémon only appeared through special research, raids, eggs, or special evolutions, as trainers noted on Reddit a few weeks ago. This is not convenient for trainers who prefer to go out and simply search for new monsters in the wild.
That’s why we asked Steranka: Why have so few new Pokémon appeared in the wild so far in 2024? And will anything change?
“We want to improve that”: Michael Steranka from Pokémon GO on new releases
This is what Steranka says: Basically, says the director, Niantic tries to find a way for each new Pokémon to make it shine a little when it appears: “When we think about how to release new Pokémon in the game, we always try to think: How can we do this Pokémon justice?” says Steranka: “How can we release this Pokémon in a way that allows it to shine and be highlighted?”
It is fitting that Schligda appeared with the biome release and its special property of only being found on the beach.
Steranka admits, however: “I think we went a little too long without releasing new Pokémon in the first few months of this year because we didn’t have those natural moments or opportunities to jump in,” said the director.
For trainers who simply go out and look for new Pokémon, it is important to be able to find new Pokémon. But this should improve in the future: “This is something we want to correct and adjust. Because we know that this is a very important part of the game for many players, including me. And we want people to feel this excitement on a regular basis,” explains the director.
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More motivation and opportunities for collectors in Pokémon GO?
Collecting is an important point for many players. But because it is so important, Niantic also has to look at how to deal with the options it has: “Another thing I want to address is that there are only a limited number of Pokémon that appear in the main series games. We at Niantic have thought a lot about this: ‘What happens when you release all the Pokémon in Pokémon GO?’ What happens next?” says Steranka.
The director did not want to reveal any concrete plans, but explained: “We are thinking about it and have spent a lot of energy trying to figure out: What is the next hunt, the next exciting thing that can inspire and motivate collectors?”
But this next “exciting thing” is not supposed to come into play until you reach that point where all the previously unreleased Pokémon have been used up: “We want to introduce new, exciting things beforehand. Along the way. We don’t see this as sequential steps, but rather we want to introduce exciting things when they are ready.”
We are definitely excited to see what the future holds for trainers in Pokémon GO and hope for more releases of new Pokémon in the wild. What do you think about this topic? Tell us in the comments! And if you want to know what will happen next in the game: Here you can find all of Pokémon GO’s events in June 2024.