If we talk about games making an impact, especially on mobile, then Pokémon Go is one game that won many hearts. The popularity of this is so huge that this title has somewhat elevated the ever-popular Pokémon franchise to the next level of popularity, and Eric Araki, the Pokemon Go Country Manager for Brazil, also thinks the same.
Pokémon Go has helped to create a huge community and increased love for the franchise
There is so much to talk about Pokémon Go, and the praises for this game might be coming up short. With its unveiling to the world in July 2016 by Niantic, it was an overnight sensation, merging the vastly loved Pokémon franchise with innovative AR technology. Over eight years since the game was launched, the craze is still the same.
Eric Araki, who has been the country manager for Pokémon Go in Brazil since November 2022, spoke to Dexerto about the evolution of the franchise, mainly with regards to what Pokemon Go has changed. Since he was with the brand since early 2000; he remembers the original games and Pokemon TCG very well.
Reflecting on the changes over the years, Araki emphasized the increased variety within the Pokemon franchise. He mentioned that while most of the original collaborations had been through games and TCG, the entry of Pokémon Go, really broadened how people were allowed to engage with the IP, adding the franchise’s evolution as “dream come true”.
Adding to Eric’s points, I have an opinion that the enthusiasm the makers show in having the community come together across different cities in the world also makes the fanbase larger. if you do not know, Pokemon Go hosts a Community Day every month, alongside a host city too, hence gathering these fans adds to the boost of the franchise.
The competitive energy in LATAM fuels more energy for the Pokemon Go boost, adds Eric
Players in Latin America are competitive, and Eric has a closer view of how things work there, pointing out that Brazil, along with Mexico has some of the best globally positioned players, with a special affection towards the Player v Player feature in the game.
However, Pokémon Go still has problems to solve in LATAM, mostly related to security, he says. “One thing that we always talk a lot about is security matters, Sao Paulo is the city with the most cell phones stolen, about two cell phones stolen every minute. That’s a huge problem, especially when you have a game where people go out and play with cell phones.”, Eric adds.
Still, the Pokémon Go community, against all odds, is going strong in LATAM. Niantic only recently announced the largest in-person event that will hit the region later on in 2024. This shows how much popularity the game still holds, and if we think of this, this might not die anytime soon since there is no other game that comes close to this title.
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