So, What Happens When Pokémon GO Runs Out Of New Pokémon?

Pokémon GO has been going strong for five whole years now, managing to dominate headlines from the off when it first launched in 2016 and continuing to thrive even in the midst of a global pandemic – which, for an app that primarily wants you to go outside, is rather impressive.

But all good things must come to an end at some point, right? With new Pokémon being added to the game on a regular basis, the app’s new inclusions are far outpacing the main series’ new monster output, and as of right now, more than two-thirds of all existing Pokémon are present in Pokémon GO. So what happens when Niantic catches up and runs out of new additions?

Well, it turns out that this very dilemma is already being thought about, and don’t worry – things aren’t going to come to an end after all. Speaking to Eurogamer, Niantic’s EMEA product marketing manager Philip Marz shared some info:

“…From a content standpoint, even if there’s a limitation in terms of the Pokémon that are still available, there’s a couple of different other initiatives we are thinking about to keep the momentum going, actually, and really pay into that mission and ambition to make Pokémon Go a forever game not only for the next five years, but maybe 10-15. Who knows, actually, but I think the record of the past five years has put us in a great position to continue that momentum.”

15 years! Wow.

Director of global product marketing, Michael Sterenka, adds:

“Totally agreed on my part. Being able to work on a game like this over the past five years is a Pokémon fan’s dream come true, and being able to see into the future, what we have planned and know that we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what this game can be and what the vision for this game is, is something I’m personally very excited about.”

While those future plans are understandably being kept under wraps for now, be safe in the knowledge that you’ll more than likely still be playing Pokémon GO long after completing that Pokédex. Imagine how different the app could look in ten years’ time…