Pokémon Go hosted its first in-person event in the UK last weekend as the Safari Zone was held in Liverpool.
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The event, which was originally scheduled to take place in March 2020, was postponed following the pandemic. It saw 20,000 players attend at Liverpool’s Sefton Park.
Players with tickets could attend in-person, or attend remotely, during which 5.93million Pokémon were caught, and 372,000 km were walked worldwide.
In a statement, developer Niantic said “We’ve come a long way since Safari Zone Liverpool’s original announcement in 2020, and we’re grateful to all of you for your patience and understanding in the meantime,” they continued: “Thank you for taking part-either in person or remotely. Our events are special because you make them special!”
In a recent interview, global product marketing Michael Sterenka and EMEA product marketing manager Philip Marz discussed the future of the game, and reflected on the past 5 years of Pokémon Go. One point of discussion is the use of Augmented Reality within the game and what it adds to the overall experience.
“We do think that the augmented reality possibilities that can be unlocked in the future, by leveraging a 3D map of the world, is something all Pokémon Go players are actually going to love, once we’re able to fully actualise that concept,” Sterenka said.
“And again, I think what I would be excited about as a Pokémon GO player isn’t necessarily what’s right here and now in augmented reality, but it’s knowing that in the years to come, there will be that paradigm shift.”
When asked about the next five years of Pokémon GO, Marz said “With the things that we can look forward to, from a technology standpoint, we are far from the end of the tunnel.”
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