As far as what those secrets might be, Hanke wouldn’t say but even that tease is sure to send some Pokémon GO players searching. Last time the fan base put their heads together, they discovered a way to control Eevee’s evolution in the game – a trick that only required naming the Pokémon ahead of time.
It could be that this secret is on the level of Evee, or perhaps a clue toward undiscovered Pokémon, or it could be as simple as an unannounced feature. Niantic tends to play things close to the chest when it comes to Pokémon GO, revealing only what they need to in order to keep players invested. For example, the developer generated a ton of buzz by announcing Pokémon trading as a potential feature, but we’re nearly four months removed from the game’s release and nothing has come of that initial tease.
That being said, Niantic has tried to keep players invested with a few new and improved features. The developer has increased the appearance rate for Pokémon and tried to give players more things to do within the game. Still, player numbers have dropped substantially since launch.
For now the bigger question is how Pokémon GO evolves to keep mobile players interested. There are obviously whole new generations of Pokémon to add to the game, but the experience itself seems to be working against the player. Just this week, for example, Niantic introduced a speed cap to Pokémon GO that prevents players from using the game while in cars, buses, or trains. It’s a move that was likely made to avoid any more accidents, but also detracts from the mobile nature of the game.
And therein lies the rub for Pokémon GO and Niantic. The developer seems more interested with changes that benefit it than those that benefit the player. Teasing a secret without saying anything is an attempt to get more players back in the game, but chances are once people find the secret they won’t be satisfied with the result.
