According to PT Barnham, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. If that is the case in the gaming world, Pokémon Go can reasonably expect to go from strength to strength. The game has consistently courted the headlines since its release last year, and some major new updates will only serve to raise its profile still further in the run up to Christmas.
Here, we take a look at what all the fuss has been about, and what players can expect from Gen 3.
A phenomenon among young gamers and nostalgic gamblers
Even without all the publicity, Pokémon has a proven track record and an appeal across all age groups. When the original version came out more than 20 years ago, it was a huge hit among teenagers. Of course, those original gamers are now approaching middle age and their gaming preferences would generally be more along the lines of casino apps like www.casinosinuk.co.uk/live-casino. However, there are few of us who can resist a little nostalgia.
The appeal of the game among all age groups is also demonstrated by the locations to which gamers find themselves drawn. On the subject of casinos, there were raised eyebrows when a flood of Pokémon Go-ers descended on the Silverton casino in Las Vegas last July. Just one of those things or a clever marketing ploy? The jury is still out on that one.
Other controversy
That was one of the first times Pokémon Go courted controversy, but it would not be the last. The game hit the headlines again and again, with dedicated players converging on such sensitive locations as national war memorials, residential areas and even on one occasion railway tracks.
The net effect, however, has been that the game has simply become more and more popular. It has already been downloaded by more than 750 million people, and this number will only rise over the coming month with the latest release.
What’s in the latest release?
A new update was released for Android in mid-November that resolved a number of bugs, including the widely reported issue where trainers were unable to power up Pokémon to their max CP. The patch also improved loading time on startup and contained several other performance updates.
This was very much the appetiser, however, leading up to Pokémon Go Generation 3. Timed for a staggered release in the run up to Christmas, Gen 3 releasing a host of new Pokémon characters in piecemeal fashion. Mudkip, Treecko and Torchic are expected to be released into the wild over coming days, and given that Aggron, Ludicolo, Salamance and Shiftry were shown in the trailer for the update, it is reasonable to assume they will not be far behind.
Gen 3 is not just about the release of new Pokémon, however. Other extras include a Christmas-themed loading screen and some clever weather effects. For example, if it is raining, you will find that water-type Pokémon will be more prevalent, but fire moves will be less effective.