Niantic

Pokémon GO: a journey of almost a decade and looking ahead to its big anniversary

Niantic outlines the future of Pokémon GO as it heads into its tenth year.

Update: May 14th, 2025 03:26 CEST

In July 2016, the release of Pokémon GO prompted people to venture outdoors. Almost nine years have passed since this title became an experience for longtime Pokémon players, as well as for those who, without a portable console, found a way to become a Pokémon Trainer through their smartphones. During our coverage of gamescom latam, we had the opportunity to speak with Michael Steranka, Pokémon GO’s senior product director. He shared details about the game’s evolution and their preparations for its tenth anniversary.

The Secret to Continued Success

One of the first topics we discussed was what has made Pokémon GO special for nearly nine years. According to Stenanka, its status as a geolocation game has allowed it to “tailor the experience to different locations.”

“One of the things that makes Pokémon GO special is that it’s a location-based game. We can do special things in special places,” said Stenanka. “We can create experiences that are authentic to the local culture in different parts of the world. We can create experiences that resonate with players and that differ greatly from what we can do in Korea or the United States, being able to tailor the experience to different places.”

Pokémon GO: a journey of almost a decade and looking ahead to its big anniversary

Looking to the Future: Communities and Upgrades

Following Scopely’s recent purchase of Niantic, many players are wondering what the future of the game will be. However, Steranka was optimistic and reaffirmed that growing local communities and improving existing features will continue to be priorities.

“We want to continue supporting each other in the things that make the game special, and we want to continue growing local communities around the world. We’ve invested a lot in the Campfire program, and it has grown significantly everywhere. It’s exciting because it shows how large these local groups have become,” Steranka commented. “In addition, we don’t just think about adding new things to the game. Sometimes, we want to take a step back and look at existing systems in the game. I think we can improve them. Players have a list of Pokémon Go features they wish could be improved, and we take those comments seriously when making improvements in areas where we’re not satisfied.”

On track for the 10th anniversary

Regarding the Pokémon GO 10th anniversary celebrations, Steranka could not reveal any details yet but hinted that they will be memorable. This is not only because the game is celebrating a decade, but also because the celebration coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise.