Pokemon Go Break Down: Pokemon's Twist on the MMO

Pokemon is a timeless brand that has thrived since the 1990s, cultivating a massive fan base while continuously attracting new enthusiasts year after year.

• Sold countless games across multiple platforms • Created numerous films and movies • Generated massive merchandise sales

No one expected Pokemon to be the brand that would revolutionize gaming again after its initial success.

Pokemon remains ever-present in media and the hearts of its fans, demonstrating unprecedented longevity in the gaming industry.

• Founded Keyhole Incorporated in 2001, developing 3D earth viewing software • Company acquired by Google, evolving into Google Earth • Worked in Google's Geo division on projects like Google Maps and Street View

In 2010, Hanke oversaw the creation of Niantic, an internal Google startup focused on developing augmented reality titles.

Niantic's first project was Ingress, a massively multiplayer AR science fiction game that became the foundation for future innovations.

Later, Google restructured into Alphabet Incorporated and spun Niantic off into its own independent company.

Unlike other MMOs, Ingress did not require direct player-to-player interaction. Instead, rivalry was built between two factions that players could join.

• Players claimed portals located at places of public significance like artwork, monuments, and landmarks • Portals had to be connected to gain influence • Portals were sometimes significant distances apart, requiring complex coordination between players

Competition played out in the real world with players seeking out and claiming geographic areas for their faction.

Ingress was released on Android in December 2013 and iOS in July 2014, becoming the base for Niantic's next major project.

Saturo Wada and Sun Kazu Ishihara brainstormed announcing a new mobile Pokemon game as an April Fools' joke, partnering with Google to make it happen.

• Three companies partnered to create a viral video announcing Google's Pokemon Challenge • Google temporarily added Pokemon to Google Maps during April Fools • Players could find all 150 first generation Pokemon in the real world

The joke competition became so successful that it led to serious conversations about developing a real Pokemon AR game.

Players who discovered all 150 Pokemon were rewarded with business cards from Google labeling them Pokemon Masters.

• Ishihara was a fan of Niantic and Ingress, leading to partnership discussions • Talented developers from Nintendo, Google, and The Pokemon Company contributed to the project • Mid-2015: Nintendo, Google, and The Pokemon Company approached Niantic to develop the game

• Junichi Masuda: Longtime Pokemon designer and composer who scored the music • Dennis Swang: Graphical artist behind the Gmail logo who worked on visual design

After Alphabet spun off Niantic, Google, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company invested approximately 30 million dollars into the newly independent company.

Both Ishihara and Wada were heavily involved from inception. Wada passed away in mid-2015 from complications of a cancerous tumor in his bile duct, but spent his final hospital moments exchanging ideas about the game with developers.

• Free-to-play game where players create an avatar that moves alongside them in a geographical rendering of Earth • Players must literally move in the real world to move in the game • Pokemon are scattered throughout the real world and discovered by players

When Pokemon are discovered, they must be captured using augmented reality technology. The app opens the player's phone camera and gyroscope, placing Pokemon within their reach, unlike other Pokemon games where they must be battled first.

• Different types of Pokemon are found in logically consistent areas • Water Pokemon are often found near rivers or large bodies of water • Locations reference where Pokemon were found in original games or anime, such as Cloysters in mountainous regions like Mount Moon

• Players join one of three teams: Valor, Mystic, and Instinct • Locations include gyms that players can conquer for their team • Poke stops provide supplies and opportunities to meet other players

• Released on North American and Australian app stores on July 6, 2016 • Rolled out throughout Europe, Japan, and other regions through the rest of July • Hanke estimated only 10% of planned features were implemented in initial release, with more mechanics to be added

• Quickly rose to top of iOS app store's free downloads • Within 2 days of release, installed on more than 5% of all Android devices in the United States • By July 31, 2016, installed on more than 100 million devices worldwide

At its peak, daily usage topped other popular apps including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tinder. It was even close to surpassing Google Maps usage in the United States.

• Players connected and forged friendships at local Poke stops • Some players assisted law enforcement in capturing criminals • Poke stops and gyms at local businesses, museums, and places of worship provided unintentional boosts to those locations

Pokemon Go recaptured what made Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green special in both the games' world and our own.

• The collection of Pokemon is a driving force, but exploration of the world to find them is equally important • 20 years ago, the world players explored was contained within a cartridge and people met were friends or classmates • Today, the world is our own and people are anyone interested enough to pick up their phone and go outside

Very few titles actively encourage players to meet other fans in the real world and work together towards common tangible goals in friendly competition.

• For years, fans asked Nintendo for a Pokemon MMO to play with other fans worldwide • Nintendo and Niantic delivered a game that exceeded expectations with genuine positive influence on communities • People from all walks of life found value in the organically grown community around Pokemon Go

Pokemon's Creator got the idea from their love of bug collecting and going outside.

The Pokemon franchise has a very long and storied universe in both its in-game lore and real-world history.

The real-world origins of Pokemon might be more interesting than expected, connecting the franchise's conception to outdoor exploration and nature.

Game Theorists offers a Pokemon breakdown covering the origins of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green, and provides additional retrospectives, theories, and cultural analyses.