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Niantic CEO talks Pokemon GO's road to success, engagement with fans, and future plans

by rawmeatcowboy
17 January 2019
GN Version 5.0

Niantic CEO John Hanke couldn't be happier with out Pokemon GO went in 2018. It was a great year for the game, and people were flocking back in droves. In an interview with BusinessInsider, Hanke discusses the journey the team has been on with Pokemon GO, and where it could lead in the future.

- Niantic spent the months after launch "on our heels," trying to patch the game up on the fly
- in 2017, Niantic took a step back to make new hires, and build a plan
- in 2018, the team achieved a "regular pace of updates," which will carry into 2019
- player engagement was way up in 2018 from 2017
- Niantic keeps up with the "Pokémon Go" community via Reddit
- Niantic tries not to let fan feedback drive its overall product strategy
- fan feedback is very useful in fine-tuning an idea once it's out
- when Pokémon trading and battling came out, Hanke says fans highlighted all kinds of little problems, which lead to solutions
- Nintendo and the Pokémon Company have been very pleased with both "Pokémon Go" and "Pokémon: Let's Go"
- they are looking for more "synergies" between the game and the core franchise

[Link]