Pokémon Go celebrated its seventh anniversary in July and is already forging ahead into new generations of content but Niantic is looking as far as 10 years ahead when considering the future of its biggest title.
It isn’t uncommon for developers to plan things out well in advance when working on a game, especially if it has a live service element that will extend the title’s life for years after release. According to Pokémon Go director Michael Steranka that extends out to at least 2026.
“We’ve already been talking internally about what 2026 will look like in Pokémon Go,” Steranka said to Dot Esports. “That will be our 10th anniversary. Crazy right? But we want to make sure that come 2026 we have a crystal clear vision for what the next decade of Pokémon Go looks like.”
For Niantic, that means a lot of planning and taking a deep look at content timelines to ensure Pokémon Go remains a thriving game with plenty to offer the community. Or in Steranka’s words, ensuring that the team isn’t “just resting on our laurels” when it comes to the here and now.
While the devs are looking at least three years out to that 10th-anniversary mark and working on features that players won’t see for some time, there is an equal focus on improving existing features at all times.
That reassurance should keep at least some skeptical Pokémon Go players from sitting on a fence about that focus on the future, with Niantic recently looking to improve gameplay experiences for more significant events and raiding—even if there is still plenty of work to be done.
Related: Niantic has new Pokémon Go events to focus on but summer is still Go Fest’s ‘sacred window’
While Niantic will remain steadfast in improving the current player experience, the team has “eyes focused” on what Steranka says is the next month, year, and beyond.
“Without giving any details away, we definitely are looking at the future in terms of what’s coming in the next month or year but the next three years and the next 10 years,” Steranka said. “We have the right folks on the team to make magic happen and I think we’re seeing the proof of that right now.”
For now, players can look forward to a new season of Pokémon Go that brings Scarlet and Violet species to the game for the first time in September. From there, what happens next has the same accuracy as a Focus Blast actually hitting its target.
