Pokemon Go Maker Reveals New Social Media App
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is launching a new social media app called Campfire this week, which will allow users to better organize in-person meet-ups. Players that sign-up and opt-in can share their locations, and chat with other users. The idea is that the Campfire app would be used in conjunction with AR games like Pokemon Go and Ingress, making it much easier to organize things like in-person Raid battles. While the app launches this week, Pokemon Go compatibility is set to be added at some point over the summer.
Since Pokemon Go does not have a chat function, Campfire could be a really helpful tool! As a Pokemon Go player myself, I'm often stuck using Twitter or text messages when I attempt to coordinate Raids. Pokemon Go's player base has a wide age range, so it makes sense to keep these types of chat and location functions separate, in order to keep younger players safe from those that might abuse these features.
Niantic has recently stressed its desire to emphasize Pokemon Go as a community experience. When the game launched in the summer of 2016, a big part of its appeal was being able to explore outside for Pokemon, and play with others in the community. The game has changed a lot to make it easier to play during the coronavirus pandemic, through the addition of Remote Raids, increased spin distance for Poke Stops, and improvements to Incense. Niantic has slowly been reverting those changes, in an effort to discourage playing from the couch. However, players have been quite unhappy about it, and Niantic has seen a lot of backlash as a result.
Making it easier for Pokemon Go players to link up with other players to organize Raids and see in-game friends is a much better way to encourage people to play the game publicly. It remains to be seen whether Pokemon Go and Ingress players will embrace the concept of Campfire, but it certainly sounds like it could offer some great quality-of-life improvements!
Do you plan on using Niantic's Campfire app? Do you think this could be helpful for Pokemon Go players? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!