Winter is coming, and Pokémon GO may be sailing rough waters once the cold settles in.
The augmented reality game from Niantic made huge waves when it launched this past summer, managing to get millions of people out on the streets, roaming their cities in search of tiny pocket monsters.
While that might have been okay in the summer time, however, it remains to be seen how many players will be willing to walk the streets in winter, facing the elements to catch Pokemon.
Upon its debut, Pokémon GO had immense success worldwide and proved to be the most popular game ever, breaking app store records and turning into a true social phenomenon. The game saw a dramatic drop one the frenzy died down, however, and winter will likely not help its case.
While many games may be utterly unaffected by the weather, Pokémon GO is different because it requires players to step outside and explore their cities on foot. In this scenario, weather can play a very important role and walking around in a snowstorm, rain, blizzard, icy roads and freezing weather may be a deal-breaker for the record-setting AR game.
A great way to continue enjoying the game even during the winter would be to play while riding a bus or a car (not driving), but Niantic has pretty much ruled that out. In an effort to avoid accidents caused by distracted drivers playing Pokémon GO behind the wheel, Niantic altered sightings and spawns to make it virtually impossible to play the game at a speed that would exceed fast walking. This means that playing on a bus or a car is out of the question, so winter solution number one is out.
Another way could be to rely mostly on the Pokémon GO Plus accessory if you've managed to nab one, as it would at least save you the effort of walking around with your smartphone in hand, either freezing without mittens or trying to make it work with gloves.
Niantic didn't announce any plans to make its game more winter-friendly, but it could and should add some special features if it wants to keep Pokémon GO alive. For instance, it could add more options to catch Pokemon or make some progress in the game without stepping outside all the time. Incense and lure modules are currently the only tricks to enjoy the game while staying put, but more options would be welcome in the winter time.
If Niantic has something special prepared for the winter, it's not saying. Until then, however, players can enjoy a special Pokémon GO Halloween event with bigger candy rewards, more spooky monsters and other treats.
