Pokémon GO
© Pokémon Company International
Gaming

What can Pokémon Go learn from Ingress?

Niantic is bringing Pokémon to the real world, but what can the studio learn from its last game?
By Mike Jennings
7 min readPublished on
Pokémon Go is Nintendo's latest game, and it could be its most exciting title in years. That's because it takes an exciting, simple concept and makes it tantalisingly real: Pokémon in the real world.
Nintendo will achieve this by working with a developer called Niantic. It was formed by Google employees who developed the augmented reality MMO Ingress, but left Google's umbrella earlier this year.
The game releases in 2016 on iOS and Android, and it'll be free with in-app purchases. Nintendo says players can track, capture, train and battle Pokémon in real-world settings. It's even getting a Bluetooth-powered wristband called the Pokémon Go Plus that lights up and vibrates when Pokémon lurk nearby.
The combination of Nintendo's world-famous brand and Niantic's augmented reality expertise is exciting, but what could Nintendo learn from Ingress? We've delved deep to find out what features would be at home in Pokémon Go, and imagine how they'd work in Nintendo's world.

Hold huge real-world events

One of the best ways Niantic promotes Ingress is with vast real-world events based around the game's plot. These take place in cities on every continent and attract hundreds of players. The next big event, Abaddon, takes place in December in London, Sydney, Seoul and dozens of other cities.
Huge meet-ups are a natural fit for Pokémon Go. The game's trailer shows hundreds of players banding together in Times Square to battle Mewtwo, but that seems like just the start: organised events could have Pokémon Centres where players can buy supplies, charge phones and strategise, and Nintendo could hold vast tournaments or globe-spanning hunting expeditions.
Ingress events tend to congregate around locations that already house portals, but Pokémon Go's more transient nature could see Nintendo holding more imaginative events. Parks and arenas both seem natural fits for Pokémon-hunting events or massive tournaments.

Develop an engaging, on-going narrative

Ingress isn't just about hacking real-world locations and seizing the advantage for your team – there’s an in-game narrative that’s twisted and turned since its debut in 2012.
It’s a good way to get players hooked, and Niantic goes all-out with its storyline: the plot revolves around an alien race connected to "Exotic Matter", with portals that produce this material scattered around the world and two competing teams – the Enlightened and Resistance – competing for dominance.
Niantic tells its story through a variety of mediums. Ingress Report videos come out several times a month, snippets of media that enhance the story can be found by hacking portals in-game, and players find clues by studying Niantic's websites and images.
Niantic's high-quality efforts seem a natural fit for Pokémon Go. Imagine a long-term plot told by videos, in-game clips, tweets, Facebook updates and other mediums – and one where the actions of players can influence the storyline.
this gets us excited for Pokémon Go

this gets us excited for Pokémon Go

© The Official Pokémon Channel

Build and sell more physical accessories

Nintendo has already announced the Pokémon Go Plus wristband, which will allow players to tap its central button to try and capture a creature. At the moment, it's the closest you'll come to using a Pokéball in real life.
That surely won't be the end of its merchandising efforts if Pokémon Go takes off though – after all, the amiibo craze has shown Nintendo just how profitable lumps of plastic can be, especially when they're linked to exclusive in-game content.
More accessories could be tied to in-game functions, and special amiibos could be produced to match in-game Pokémon – a natural evolution given the relative dearth of Pokémon amiibos. And let's say Pokémon modding took off, you could even spend a little extra and get a personalised model of your customised creature.

Introduce exciting, varied missions

A 2014 Ingress update saw Niantic add the ability for players to design their own missions. These link Ingress Portals together with connected narratives, and there's a fair amount of freedom given to players when designing. Local ones to us include 15-minute jaunts through the portals in a botanical garden, a three-hour walking tour of prominent statues in the nearby town and longer journeys that stretch for almost ten kilometres.
There's huge scope for this in Pokémon Go. Missions could revolve around capturing a certain number of creatures in one area, for instance, or travelling through well-known locations and swiping monsters at each spot.
This looks to be something that Nintendo is already considering. The Pokémon Go trailer features players banding together to defeat Mewtwo in ten minutes, but that seems basic. Ingress has laid the foundation for long, complex missions – Pokémon Go could see Niantic and Nintendo going several steps further.

Battling over everything

Pokémon revolves around fights between monsters, of course, but Ingress includes different kinds of combat, and bringing these to Pokémon Go could add layers of depth to the game.
Players could use a variety of weapons to battle each other – rather than just their Pokémon – and different weapons and player levels could add welcome interest to the game's combat side. It's arguable that adding other weapons and things to fight over could detract from the core business of battling Pokémon, but it's worth considering.
The whole world could be your stage in Pokémon Go

The whole world could be your stage in Pokémon Go

© The Official Pokémon Channel

Emphasise territorial control and tribal gameplay

Pokémon is usually played by individuals, but that's fundamentally different from Ingress, which revolves around two worldwide teams battling each other.
This team-based, territorial gameplay is something Nintendo could borrow. People could play on their own, but could also play for their countries, towns or clans – a type of gameplay that could come into its own at real-world events, where teams gain advantages because of previous fight records, the strength of their Pokémon teams or territorial control, perhaps.

Modding your Pokémon

One of the key ways Ingress players can shore up their portals is with mods. Each portal has four slots for different kinds of augmentation: weapons, shields and range extension tools can all be deployed.
It could make sense to introduce modding to Pokémon Go. Imagine improving your creatures by adding weapons, shields and other enhancements, rather than just evolving them. The prospect of creating hybrid monsters covered with bits of technology is outlandish, but intriguing.
And, if we're talking cynically, certain high-value mods – or even cosmetic additions that don't influence gameplay – could be a nice little earner for Nintendo, in the same vein as Gears of War, the Batman: Arkham games and Evolve.

Develop real-world brand partnerships

This could be a controversial addition but, conversely, it may be a way for Nintendo to monetise its game without resorting to using quite as many in-app payments, even if Nintendo has already confirmed that those will feature.
Niantic has experimented with commercial deals: Jamba Juice outlets functioned as portals, and Ingress players get discounts and bonus gear when using Zipcar locations in six countries. In the UK, Schuh stores function as portals.
This interesting idea could translate easily to Pokémon Go. Shops and other commercial entities could function as Pokémon centres, or house exclusive monsters. Nintendo could link-up with museums, libraries and other public bodies, or even with other gaming franchises and hardware companies – exclusives could be offered on certain phones or wearables, for instance. Nintendo's recent Mercedes-Benz DLC for Mario Kart 8 shows the company is open to considering partnerships. Real world promotions however would feel a lot less egregiously out of place when playing in the real world.
Pokémon Go brings the beloved game to life.

Pokémon Go brings the beloved game to life.

© The Official Pokémon Channel

Earning badges and collecting achievements

Ingress players progress through levels as they gain experience, but that's not all. As they play they earn badges, which function like achievements. Some are awarded for walking certain distances, or for holding portals for a set number of days, and others for hacking a unique number of portals or linking portals together.
It's a perfect idea to bring over to Pokémon Go. There's huge scope for letting players win badges for in-game achievements and hey, Nintendo, you could even sell replicas at the Pokémon Centres you'll set up at events.

Gonna catch ‘em all?

There's no doubt that Pokémon Go is a large and risky project, but we're optimistic. Niantic has already demonstrated what it can do by developing Ingress, despite being stuck in the Google back office and left to their own devices. So the thought of the firm being able to let loose while backed by Nintendo is exciting – and Nintendo has got Pokémon game director Junichi Masuda involved to try and guarantee the new title's quality.
Both firms need to fully commit to Pokémon Go if it's going to be a success – it won't do too well if it's a mere reskin of Ingress, and it'll likely flounder if support drops off after the busy initial months. We've got faith that Pokémon Go will be a success, though – colour us excited.