Following the recent acquisition of Pokémon Go developer Niantic by Scopely, the creators of Monopoly Go, fans have expressed concerns over potential changes such as increased ads and data privacy issues. However, a reassuring interview with Michael Steranka, a product director at Niantic, published on Polygon, aims to alleviate these worries.
In the interview, Steranka praises Scopely's approach and emphasizes the alignment of values between Niantic and the Monopoly Go developers. He confidently stated that Scopely is unlikely to introduce intrusive ads into Pokémon Go. Moreover, addressing privacy concerns directly, Steranka assured that Niantic will not share or sell player data to third parties. He concluded by affirming that the transition to working under Scopely would have minimal impact on Niantic's operations.
If it ain't broke... While there may be concerns about corporate influence, I personally believe Scopely will not heavily intervene in Pokémon Go's operations. The game has been, and continues to be, highly successful. A more significant development might be Niantic's new spin-off team dedicated to exploring further applications of augmented reality (AR).
Steranka also highlighted the close involvement of The Pokémon Company in Pokémon Go's decision-making process. This partnership suggests that any significant changes not aligned with The Pokémon Company's vision would be unlikely to occur now or in the future.
If these reassurances have boosted your confidence in returning to Pokémon Go, don't forget to check out our regularly updated list of promo codes for some free in-game boosts.
