"Gotta Catch 'em All" is back like never before. The moment every Pokémon fan has ever dreamed of has come true. Bringing in old diehard fans as well as newcomers. Pokémon Go skyrocketed to victory in its first week of release, gathering more than 500 million downloads worldwide and becoming the number one most downloaded app in history, even blowing past Twitter and Tinder. But where does the popularity come from?
Pokémon Go can contribute its popularity to the fact that people can catch 151 their favorite pocket monsters in an augmented reality setting. That means the Pikachu you've always wanted to catch since you were a little can finally be yours. Though the game was received with mixed reviews, it hasn't stopped old fans as well as fans who've never played Pokémon before from downloading the app and going out to fill their very own PokéDex. The game has also given gamers a better light. Rather than just sitting at home all day playing games, Pokémon Go promotes exercise and going out into the world to collect Pokémon, get PokéStops, and fight in gyms. And with the recent update players can even chose buddy Pokémon. Though it has no effect on how the game is played.
Pokémon Go may be a big hit to players everywhere, but what has it contributed to the original franchise?
2016 is a big year for the Pokémon franchise. After 20 years, Pokémon does fail with releasing new games and merchandise. And for the 20th anniversary, not one, but two different games have their release dates set. The first of which was Pokémon Go. And with the release of Pokémon Go in early of 2016, it overshadowed the new highly anticipated games to the long running franchise, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Diehard fans have anticipated both Pokémon Go and Pokémon Sun/Moon since they were first announced, but newcomers who have only played Pokémon Go know next to nothing about the next big generation coming this November. The release of Pokémon Go hasn't negatively affected the 20-year-old franchise, except for the the fact that some people are reckless while playing the game. Reports of people falling off cliffs, hitting others with cars or getting hit by cars, trespassing, and other reports have sprung up since its release date prompting Niantic, the co-creator, to put out updates where you cannot play the game if going a certain speed. While some may say that is negative, it has not hurt the franchise as a whole, and we'll have to see if Pokémon Go-ers will move along with the fans to the next big game. Seeing if Pokémon Go has positively affected the original franchise is still yet to be seen.
