Pokemon Go Director Addresses Future of Ads and In-Person Events Following Scopely Sale

Earlier this month, Scopely confirmed its acquisition of Niantic’s gaming division, alongside Pokemon Go. The announcement sent shockwaves through the game’s community, leading to major concerns about the future. When a live-service game switches hands, it can often result in big changes, sometimes for the worse. In a new interview with Polygon, Pokemon Go‘s senior product director Michael Steranka addressed several concerns that have been brought up by fans, starting with the possibility of “obtrusive ads” or limits on playtime. Steranka told Polygon that won’t be happening, “not now, not ever,” leaving little wiggle room for future changes.

“…Scopely really recognizes how unique this game is, and they’ve told us themselves that they would be foolish to try to change the recipe of what’s made this such a huge hit and a success. So yeah, absolutely not. We will not be building into our games any type of obtrusive ads or anything like that,” Steranka told Polygon.

One of the key themes during Steranka’s discussion with Polygon is that Scopely gives its development teams “the agency to make the decisions that’s right for their games.” The implication is that Pokemon Go‘s current developers aren’t going anywhere, and there are no plans to wildly change the direction of the game. For the most part, that should come as good news. While Niantic’s policies have frequently been a cause of frustration for players, this means that the elements players love will also remain intact. Most notably, in-person events like Pokemon Go Fest aren’t going anywhere. In fact, Steranka hints that we could see them expand beyond what’s currently offered.

“That’s something that no other game in the industry really does, and it’s an area that if anything, they want us to double down on and grow in the future. So first and foremost, all of what we’ve announced for Pokemon Go Fest this summer, that’s all still happening. And then beyond that, if anything, what I would say is expect maybe even bigger and better live events from us and maybe in even more locations in the future,” said Steranka.

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Steranka obviously seems to have a lot of faith in the future, and that’s a good thing; though players can often find themselves frustrated with the game, the reality is that Pokemon Go has built a passionate audience around the world. The game’s success has had a monumental impact on the Pokemon franchise, and it continues to draw in players after 9 years. In an era where many mobile and live-service games are lucky to last a few months, it’s impossible to overstate just how rare that can be. It remains to be seen what impact the change to Scopely will have on Pokemon Go, but hopefully it all proves to be for the best.

How do you feel about the acquisition by Scopely? Do you think Pokemon Go will continue to find success under the company? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!