Do you guys think anyone would be interested in a game similar to pokemon go but with without the pokemon brand? I feel like these GPS based games are quite interesting, but I'm not sure whether it would be better to improve on the monster catching formula or make a totally different game.
What do you guys think? An improved pokemon go or another type of game? (maybe an rpg, or something like monster hunter)
The GPS part of the Pokemon Go isn't unique or original. People have been trying to make these kind of Map / GPS games since we had GPS available on mobile phone.
I can remember playing one called Triangles on my Sony Erricson back in 2005. The thing is that other than Ingress none of them have really taken off.
If you did a Google search for GPS games before Pokemon Go was released you would have found dozens of results (Its a bit tricky now since searching for anything to do with GPS and games will just return Pokemon Go stuff now).
In answer to your question No I don't think a large number of people would be interested in a similar game without Pokemon branding.
Ingress was OK but, at the time it was popular it was because it was owned by Google and they were pushing it onto anyone with an Android handset or a Google+ account.
Pokemon Go has done well but only because of Pokemon. They could of released a Flappy Pikachu game and it would still have done well.
Personally, I was looking forward to playing Pokemon Go but it turns out my phone doesn't have a gyroscope so the AR doesn't work for me. The remaining gameplay that I could see isn't enough to keep my interest. I was hoping to play with my kids and that they'd get a kick out of seeing these critters in familiar places. But without the AR, there's nothing special about it for them.
What's "better" is subjective to the whims, mood, and tastes of the player at the time that they're inclined to play something. So, any game can do well or fail on its own merits.
(edit)
I think one of things that does appeal to me about the game though is the notion that it's a bit of a treasure hunt. Phone upgrade notwithstanding, maybe it'd be interesting to try some kind of AR - Geocaching hybrid sort of thing.
Oh wow. Interesting stuff. Some very good points. I agree with you that a similar game wouldn't fare too well, but what about a game that has better gameplay and a solid amount of non-gps content? Maybe some AR usage too?
A game I have played for a while is Zombies Run:
https://zombiesrungame.com
This game encourages exercise in the real word to collect money and resources to build up your base. SixToStart the guys who develop it have a number of other exercise games that encourage you to get out and about. I'm not entirely sure if all there games actually use the GPS or are just using your devices as a pedometer but, they are still different in that you are encouraged to get off your arse to go and play them.
http://www.sixtostart.com
It's possible that Pokemon Go has "broken the ice" for these kinds of games. As noted, many such games, several with much more interesting gameplay then Pokemon Go has been attempted over the last 15 years or so.
But GPS games main selling point is also its main disadvantage.
You need a critical mass for it to be interesting, and anything that also has a location requirement (as opposed to a fully virtual online game) will be harder to reach a critical mass with.
Also, people in user tests have been highly sceptical to wave around their phones in public places, being afraid of social stigma.
It seems the Pokémon brand was strong enough to overcome these problems.
Who knows, maybe with pokemon go, it will now be more acceptable.
We certainly will see a sharp increase in attempts to launch other GPS based games.
So if you have a good idea, get to work on it, before you're drowned out in the flood :)
...And don't forget a big marketing budget.
I've actually had to explain to an entire board of directors, no more than a week ago, why a Pokemon Go clone wouldn't work without a major brand to back it up.
Even more, just having a good brand may not even fit, Pokemon, much like Yokai Watch, actually have a theme of 'catching them all' or 'revealing what is hidden in plain sight', and these are the only 2 brands that I know of which could've pulled this up (and Pokemon went there first).
If the Canadian launch is any indicator though, server infrastructure and bandwidth are likely to be the one reason why most people can't pull this off. Though they actually managed to release in the USA (a larger market by more than a factor of 10), they somehow had 3 almost full days of server mayhem as they were troubleshooting what must've been CCU issues for login and scan. I can only imagine the fee for hosting such a big server-dependent experience!
Personally, I was looking forward to playing Pokemon Go but it turns out my phone doesn't have a gyroscope so the AR doesn't work for me. The remaining gameplay that I could see isn't enough to keep my interest. I was hoping to play with my kids and that they'd get a kick out of seeing these critters in familiar places. But without the AR, there's nothing special about it for them.
What's "better" is subjective to the whims, mood, and tastes of the player at the time that they're inclined to play something. So, any game can do well or fail on its own merits.
(edit)
I think one of things that does appeal to me about the game though is the notion that it's a bit of a treasure hunt. Phone upgrade notwithstanding, maybe it'd be interesting to try some kind of AR - Geocaching hybrid sort of thing.
Fair enough. Maybe better wasn't the right word. More actual gameplay is what I meant. Hmm yeah that could be a good idea, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the input.
A game I have played for a while is Zombies Run:Oh wow. Interesting stuff. Some very good points. I agree with you that a similar game wouldn't fare too well, but what about a game that has better gameplay and a solid amount of non-gps content? Maybe some AR usage too?
https://zombiesrungame.com
This game encourages exercise in the real word to collect money and resources to build up your base. SixToStart the guys who develop it have a number of other exercise games that encourage you to get out and about. I'm not entirely sure if all there games actually use the GPS or are just using your devices as a pedometer but, they are still different in that you are encouraged to get off your arse to go and play them.
http://www.sixtostart.com
Oh wow, Zombie Run looks awesome! Using the pedometer gives me a lot of ideas (and lots of problems :lol: ). Thanks!
It's possible that Pokemon Go has "broken the ice" for these kinds of games. As noted, many such games, several with much more interesting gameplay then Pokemon Go has been attempted over the last 15 years or so.
But GPS games main selling point is also its main disadvantage.
You need a critical mass for it to be interesting, and anything that also has a location requirement (as opposed to a fully virtual online game) will be harder to reach a critical mass with.
Also, people in user tests have been highly sceptical to wave around their phones in public places, being afraid of social stigma.
It seems the Pokémon brand was strong enough to overcome these problems.
Who knows, maybe with pokemon go, it will now be more acceptable.
We certainly will see a sharp increase in attempts to launch other GPS based games.
So if you have a good idea, get to work on it, before you're drowned out in the flood :)
...And don't forget a big marketing budget.
Well, you're also assuming I'm going to have the same gameplay as Pokemon Go. I don't think the critical mass will be as important for me, as I'm going to start with single player features then expand into multiplayer. The waving around phones is a good point, so ideally the game would be more discreet?
Alright, will do, thanks! About that marketing budget tho... :lol: Any ideas for cheap marketing?
I've actually had to explain to an entire board of directors, no more than a week ago, why a Pokemon Go clone wouldn't work without a major brand to back it up.
Even more, just having a good brand may not even fit, Pokemon, much like Yokai Watch, actually have a theme of 'catching them all' or 'revealing what is hidden in plain sight', and these are the only 2 brands that I know of which could've pulled this up (and Pokemon went there first).
If the Canadian launch is any indicator though, server infrastructure and bandwidth are likely to be the one reason why most people can't pull this off. Though they actually managed to release in the USA (a larger market by more than a factor of 10), they somehow had 3 almost full days of server mayhem as they were troubleshooting what must've been CCU issues for login and scan. I can only imagine the fee for hosting such a big server-dependent experience!
Fair enough, but what about a completely original game? Obviously I can tailor it to fit, and I'm hoping that a game with more to do can overcome the no-brand hurdle (Pokemon GO doesn't really have much to do). You're right about the server issues, but I'm thinking of starting with single player and then going multiplayer gradually, so ideally this won't be an issue for me. Thanks for the feedback tho!
- Jason Astle-Adams
