Pokemon GO - Revolution in Mobile Gaming? Probably not.

Pokemon GO is one of the most ingenious and universally appealing games to arrive on mobile devices within the last decade. For a millennial that grew up playing the classic games from Gold and Silver to Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon GO is not only a modern day success, but appeals to the nostalgia of the 90’s fan base. The excitement of exploring unknown regions and striving to complete the Pokedex has led most of the world into a frenzy - and it’s beautiful.

With Pokemon GO becoming an unprecedented global gaming phenomenon, more and more people are becoming aware of the enormous Pokemon community. Gamers of all ages and professions are now striving to become “the very best” and it has had a significant impact on mobile gaming.

But will this gaming momentum carry over to other budding projects and can the formula be replicated by other companies?

Probably not.

Nostalgia

One of the main reasons for Pokemon GO’s enormous success is the fact that it appeals to many players’ childhoods. While most video games appeal to relatively younger audiences, Pokemon GO has managed to attract universal attention, especially from older players.

The decline of Pokemon sales by Generation (Source: Vox) 

While some people are simply being introduced to the franchise by the younger generation, many have been long time Pokemon fans themselves. With the original games (Pokemon Red and Green) coming out in 1996, many of the original gamers are now in their early 30’s. Pokemon skillfully taps into this sense of nostalgia, a feeling that has been proven to subconsciously build consumer loyalty, and utilizes childhood memories to fuel the appeal of the game. Pokemon GO only contains Generation 1 Pokemon, which would resonate best with gamers that played the original series rather than the modern day generations (Black, White, X, and Y). This, along with the fact that Pokemon games have steadily decreased in popularity with each generation, further supports the idea that Pokemon GO appeals more to those that grew up with the earliest incarnations and generations rather than the later ones. 

This pre-existing childhood attachment to Pokemon is a large factor of GO’s success, a factor that newer gaming studios do not have.

Gameplay

Pokemon GO’s universal appeal can be attributed to its universal gameplay mechanics. Pokemon, on its most basic level, is a game about catching Pokemon in Pokeballs. In the handheld games, there are additional components, but the main theme is to "catch ’em all”. This simple theme is present in the new mobile game and creates an "easy to learn" mechanic for new players as well as appeases fans of the original games.

Evolution of the Pokeball (Pokemon Red, Pokemon FireRed, and Pokemon GO) 

Most of the extremely successful games on mobile devices fall into two categories: simple or conquest. Games that include simple gameplay mechanics include Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Candy Crush. These games are easy to learn and addicting to play because they often require little effort to do so. The second type of game that performs extremely well are games of conquest/real time strategy/RPG, such as Clash of Clans, Game of War, and Mobile Strike. These games require constant attention in order to maintain in-game components and call upon gamers to monitor game activity often, making them highly addicting as well.

These two factors are often opposites - in order to achieve the complexity of strategy games, simplicity must be sacrificed, and vice versa. Pokemon GO, however, has managed to combine both to create the ultimate mobile gaming experience. In addition to the simple catching mechanic, the team territory battles for gyms hits all three components: conquest, real time strategy, and RPG. This perfect blend can be attributed to a largely pre-established gaming system that not only pleases original fans, but attracts new ones as well.

Brand

The main reason why Pokemon GO’s success will unlikely be replicated is, in addition to nostalgia and optimal mobile gameplay, its brand power. Pokemon is an instantly recognized franchise and has dominated pop culture for 20 years. The game has developed an enormous following and draws huge audiences with a legacy spanning across 20 movies, 19 television seasons, 24 handheld games (with nearly 50 spin-offs), and a card game.

The enormous Pokemon franchise and fan base 

The Pokemon brand is globally recognized, which is integral in boosting the reach and popularity of Pokemon GO. Niantic (the company responsible for developing Pokemon GO) previously produced a game called Ingress, which had many of the same gameplay mechanics seen in Pokemon GO, and amassed 500,000 players back in 2013. Pokemon Goshattered that number by becoming more popular than most social media sites and is set to surpass Twitter in daily usage. With similar gameplay as its predecessor, a large reason for Pokemon GO’s success can be attributed to the enormous power of the Pokemon brand. 

Final Thoughts

Pokemon GO has become a global phenomenon in less than a week. People are playing it in workplaces, across universities, in parks, and even on moving vehicles. By being able to bridge the divide between hardcore gamers and casual fans, Nintendo and Niantic have managed to create the ultimate mobile experience. Pokemon GO’s rise to instant dominance can be attributed to its appeal to 90’s nostalgia, simple, addictive, true-to-the-brand gameplay, and huge cult following – three components few companies, if any, possess together.

It is a unique gaming experience, the culmination of a 20-year franchise, creating one of the most globally interactive mobile games to date. The perfect blend of nostalgia, gameplay, and brand have allowed it to achieve instant cult status – a status few mobile games will ever capture. 

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Erwen (Alex) Zhu is an intended Business Major at the University of California Berkeley and writes as a millennial voice for marketing, social media, entertainment, politics, and cultural impact.

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