Why Pokemon Go Failed
Do you remember the summer of 2016 when it felt like everyone was out catching Pokemon? That iconic Pokemon Go launch created such a craze it felt like the game would dominate for years. So where did things go wrong?
Pokemon Go eventually failed due to a lack of ongoing content, poor communication around controversial changes, the removal of core features, and rampant cheating. These missteps combined to severely damage retention after the initial launch hype wore off.
Not Enough Ongoing Content to Sustain Interest
After releasing to such fanfare, you would expect Pokemon Go to have an extensive content pipeline planned to extend its lifecycle for years. But the pace of meaningful updates slowed to a crawl in the months after launch. Server crashes and bug fixes aren’t enough – a mobile game like Pokemon Go needs fresh content continuously added to give players reasons to keep coming back. Games like Fortnite and Candy Crush release new gameplay modes, cosmetics, seasonal events and more extremely frequently. Compared to these industry leaders, Pokemon Go‘s development roadmap disappoints.
This failure to sustain interest can clearly be seen in the data on Pokemon Go‘s decline. According to SurveyMonkey Intelligence, the game boasted 28 million daily users in the US just one month after launch. But by September 2016, this number had already dropped to below 6 million – a nearly 80% decline! Slow updates meant the fad quickly died out for all but the most dedicated Pokemon trainers.
Lack of Communication Around Controversial Changes
Adding insult to injury, the Pokemon Go team seemingly went radio silent when things went wrong and made unpopular changes without consulting fans. The most infamous example was the sudden removal of Pokemon tracking from the game just weeks after launch.
For those who didn‘t play, tracking was a core feature that allowed hunters to see nearby Pokemon marked with footprints and track them down. Removing this essentially killed the excitement of exploration and discovery that was so central to the experience for many early adopters. But instead of communicating around why this needed to happen, players were left confused and outraged at waking up to find a staple feature simply gone. Developers of games like Final Fantasy 14 and Old School Runescape know frequent developer live streams and roadmaps builds a sense of connection and transparency with players that weather controversies. Pokemon Go‘s clandestine approach led to an erosion of trust and wave of players quitting the game entirely in protest and demanding refunds.
Removal of Core Features Permanently Crippled Enjoyment
While no mobile game can sustain launch levels of popularity forever, Pokemon Go‘s incredibly steep decline can be directly tied to specific developer decisions instead of just general waning interest. And the previously mentioned removal of tracking was the biggest offender by far when it came to driving away initially enthusiastic users.
This single choice crippled the core gameplay loop that had fans exploring cities and towns to hunt down new Pokemon. According to Apptopia estimates, Pokemon Go‘s daily user count immediately tanked from 45 million to 30 million in the month after tracking was removed. Imagine if YouTube suddenly removed the ability to search for videos – people would be outraged at losing functionality so vital to the experience. Pokemon Go made an almost equally drastic and detrimental change by cutting tracking. And the game never truly recovered from this betrayal of player trust and enjoyment.
Rampant Cheating Drove Away Legit Players
Pouring gasoline on an already raging fire, Niantic failed to address blatant cheating through hacking, bottling, and spoofing for over a year after launch. These problems were apparent even in the first few weeks of play with bots able to grind endless Pokemon and Stardust by automatically walking and catching 24/7. Spoofers also jumped around the world using fake GPS coordinates to catch region-exclusive Pokemon and conquer hard to reach gyms.
Seeing these rampant exploits surely disheartened legitimate players who spent real effort traversing their neighborhoods each day to progress naturally. Why grind when others cheat to get ahead? Again Niantic seemed oblivious and only rolled out any meaningful anti-cheat measures a full 14 months post launch. For many frustrated fans, that was far too little far too late.
Attempted Recovery Too Little Too Late
Its clear Pokemon Go made some colossal mistakes in it‘s first year that severely stunted its amazing potential for longevity. And yes – years later updates like friends lists, trainer battles, Gen 2 & 3 releases, and improved anti cheat brought some lapsed wanders back into the fold. But the game never recovered the spark of those first magical summer months. For every player won back by improvements, more still remembered the bitterness of a bungled launch and loss of sight on what first made hunting Pokemon so compulsive. Once that loyal community scatters it proves extremely difficult to rebuild the same energy and excitement.
As Pokemon Go enters its 7th year, its hard not to think about lost potential. Fixing just a few major missteps could have kept Pokemon Go thriving for the long haul. Paying more attention to content pacing, communication, integrity of the core experience, and fairness could have retained that spark. But dissatisfaction and distrust layered up until even the games most diehard fans put down their Pokeballs. And that meant Pokemon Go instead became a cautionary tale of squandered early promise rather than a mobile gaming juggernaut.
