Pokémon Go might have been the big hit app of the summer in 2016, but the developer Niantic has much more optimistic and grand plans for the augmented reality title. It wants it to have a legacy like World of Warcraft.
Part of that is because Niantic sees its game as something more than your average smartphone app. It was developed with mobile gamers in mind of course and Niantic did lots of research into mobile customs and what users like in that sort of space, but believes the development of the game was much more MMO-like.
"We are more an MMO than anything else," said Niantic's Mike Quiqley in a chat with Eurogamer. "We have two week client sprints, two week server-side sprints. Every two weeks there's new content or bug fixes going in the game. There's key content releases we're planning.
"I think our lifespan and curve may be quite different from a free-to-play mobile game - it may be more in a [World of] Warcraft vein just because of the type of game we are. It's not about taking a bunch of money off the table and going. Monetisation has never been the focus for us. It's about doing right by the brand and doing right by the fans."
Of course you don't need to worry so much about monetisation when you've purportedly made hundreds of millions of dollars already. He also has a point about long development cycles. There's certainly plenty of Pokémon and related content that could be added to Pokémon Go.
But WoW-like levels of interest and cultural impact? Do you think it can reach it?
Image Source: Eduardo Woo/Flickr
