Special events for Pokémon GO are only doing it good, with the special Halloween event propelling it back atop App Store charts. Because of the Halloween event's success, it's only logical for Niantic to follow up with another one, and indeed it will. The company has set another special event, this time, in line with Thanksgiving.
Niantic Says Thank You
The event, while coming off as a more subdued and low-key affair than the much-anticipated Halloween special event, is seemingly a way for Niantic to show its gratitude to players.
"We are humbled that hundreds of millions of you around the world have joined us on this journey. So we would like to say thank you — and what better way to say thank you than to celebrate our community," reads Niantic's official announcement over at Pokémon GO Live.
Starting Wednesday, Nov. 23, up until the end of November, Niantic is doubling the amount of XP and Stardust players can receive when accomplishing in-game actions.
Of course, this isn't a packed incentive in the vein of the Halloween event, but it's a great way to know that Niantic is thankful for the support of Pokémon GO players, largely the reason why the community has propped itself up over a long period despite constant criticisms brought on by the nearby tracker and Niantic's minimizing approach to third-party services such as FastPokéMap.
It's no secret that Pokémon GO is global phenomenon, with Niantic having added more countries in the mishmash, so calling it a Thanksgiving event is a slight misnomer, but for players who'll be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, Niantic's thank-you note acts as a nice subsumption to the overwhelming feel-good holiday vibe about to arrive.
Other Pokémon GO News
Second-generation Pokémon alongside shape-shifting Ditto and Shiny Pokémon are slated to finally make their appearance on Pokémon GO, possibly in the near future, though Niantic hasn't officially given any confirmation yet. The studio's continuous efforts to appease fans is a much-needed inroad as of this time, since the app has been steadily losing its popularity.
Mike Quigley, marketing chief of Niantic, has elucidated the next evolution of Pokémon GO, which involves upsizing staff, implementing new business models and collaborating with different developers in the long run.
"We expect the team to double in size over the course of the next year," said Quigley. "We are growing but doing so responsibly and carefully, so that we don't get ahead of ourselves."
What do you think of Niantic's special thank you to fans? Will you be playing Pokémon GO this coming Thanksgiving? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
