The Pokemon franchise has a lot of exciting content on the way, thanks to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Every new generation of the franchise comes with dozens of new creatures for fans to collect and befriend, putting yet another twist on the eternal quest to complete the Pokedex. However, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet don't deserve all the credit for carrying the Pokemon franchise at the moment. Ongoing live-service products like Pokemon GO are crucial too. In recent history, Pokemon GO has allowed new insight into established mechanics like Mega Evolution, but it may have much more to offer the Pokemon franchise than that.
One of the biggest ongoing trends in the franchise is the introduction of regional Pokemon variants. Alola, Galar, and Hisui have all added special versions of known Pokemon in order to add a little diversity to the franchise world. These regional forms have largely been met positively, and with nearly a thousand distinct Pokemon in existence, there is still room for a lot more regional variants to crop up in any given Pokemon game. While Pokemon GO's lore and gameplay model would make it a little unorthodox, the hit mobile title could use a few regional Pokemon variants of its own.
Why Pokemon GO Deserves Regional Variants
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For many years, Pokemon GO has been a proud ambassador for regional Pokemon variants. Several Alolan versions of Pokemon arrived in Pokemon GO long before Pokemon from older generations, and Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode quickly arrived in the game in 2022 to celebrate Pokemon Legends: Arceus' release. Nevertheless, Pokemon GO lacks its own special Pokemon variants. As a general rule, Pokemon GO has been treated very much as a minor part of the Pokemon family focused on adapting well-known franchise concepts, rather than introducing lots of its own ideas.
Even though it isn't made by Game Freak, Pokemon GO deserves more special treatment. Niantic has made Pokemon GO into an overwhelming success that continues to draw in players and generate lots of revenue; few Pokemon spinoffs can claim to be quite as popular and profitable as Niantic's mobile title. Because Pokemon GO has performed outstandingly, it deserves to introduce some new things to the franchise, rather than mainly picking up on content and trends from the core Pokemon games. A couple regional variants that spotlight Pokemon GO's unique concept and characteristics would be a great way to celebrate the game's contributions.
Imagining Pokemon GO Regional Forms
Since Pokemon GO is so focused on real-life travel and exploration, Niantic and Game Freak could collaborate to create some migratory forms of established Pokemon. For instance, the companies could add the Flying type to certain Pokemon to mimic real birds that travel with the seasons, or it could similarly make fishlike Water-type variants that wander the Pokemon world with the help of ocean currents. Traveling Pokemon variants like this could quite feasibly be called things like "Psyduck GO", since the name would represent their migratory nature even in console Pokemon games. Creatures from Pokemon GO that migrate could also lead to fun seasonal events in games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
For the time being, it seems unlikely that Pokemon GO will start adding its own regional forms. The mechanic is usually intended to spotlight a new Pokemon region's features; Game Freak and The Pokemon Company might understandably find Pokemon GO's setting and themes too nebulous to warrant entirely new Pokemon forms. Still, Pokemon GO has undoubtedly earned a little special treatment. The game has earned a place as one of the top Pokemon spinoffs, and it still seems to have years of contributions ahead of it. If Pokemon GO still has so much to give, then the franchise ought to at least let it have a few special Pokemon that cement its legacy.
Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS devices.