At the annual TechCrunch Disrupt, Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke dropped more hints on what players can expect from popular mobile game Pokémon GO.
Hanke earlier teased upcoming features to the game at the San Diego Comic-Con, which was held in July. Hanke said that there were plans to add rare Pokémon, Pokémon Centers and Pokémon trading to the game. The leaders of the three teams were also revealed, along with the fact that there are more easter eggs in Pokémon GO for players to discover.
At the TechCrunch event, Hanke confirmed that Niantic Labs is looking to expand the mobile platforms where Pokémon GO is available. When asked if Android Wear was being considered, Hanke said that it is "pretty likely" that the game will come to the platform, ending speculations that Pokémon GO will be exclusive for the Apple Watch Series 2 among wearable devices.
Hanke added in the interview that the core idea for Pokémon GO is the vision of a massively multiplayer game. As such, the developer is looking toward the development of the multiplayers and social aspects of the mobile game to push the continued growth of Pokémon GO and maintain the interest of players.
Battles between players are something that players should watch for, with Hanke saying that the feature is often discussed. PvP battles will soon make their way into the game, but Hanke did not specify a date on when the feature can be expected to arrive in Pokémon GO.
When asked about adding more Pokémon, Hanke said that Niantic Labs intends to add more generations into the game as that is a natural way of keeping Pokémon GO fresh for players. Hanke added that they are thinking about introducing new Pokémon through events, which is an idea inspired by what the company is doing in its other multiplayer mobile game, Ingress.
Events for Pokémon GO will be similar to Ingress in that they will be big gatherings that would be partly competitive, partly social and partly simply for fun. Launching new Pokémon through these events will help in pushing the multiplayer aspect of Pokémon GO, but Niantic Labs is still waiting for the craziness surrounding the launch of the mobile game to subside before planning such events.
Niantic Labs recently rolled out the latest update for Pokémon GO, which added the Buddy Pokémon feature that allows players to collect candy as they walk alongside a chosen Pokémon.
Hanke claims that the current version of Pokémon GO is just a minimum viable product, and that it is just "the tip of the iceberg" in terms of what Niantic Labs is planning for the game.
