Pokemon Go is, at its heart, a social experience. Since the game launched six years ago, friends have been finding ways to organize meetups and participate in raids–but not through the app. With no way to message one another directly in-game, social media has been the go-to tool to connect with like-minded fans. This is about to change, as Niantic has announced Campfire, a new social app set to launch this summer.
Campfire will allow players to easily find and message other Pokemon Go fans in their immediate vicinity and beyond. It will also be possible to organize events and meetups and share content. Campfire will also be compatible with other Niantic games and will be downloadable as a separate app.
Earlier this month, Niantic revealed the details for this year’s Pokemon Go Fest. The 2022 event will take place on June 4 and June 5 from 10:00 A.M. until 6:00 PM and will cost $14.99 per player. These tickets include access to event gameplay on both days of the event. Niantic has also announced that, for the first time in Pokemon Go Fest history, a special finale event will take place on August 27, 2022. Those buying tickets for the June event will be given a ticket for this unique event free of charge.
The Pokemon craze isn’t going away any time soon. Nintendo recently revealed that almost 35 million Pokemon games were sold in the last financial year alone, with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl being the highest-selling Nintendo game of the fiscal year 2022. The games sold 14.65 million units following their release in November to the end of March.
Pokemon Go was initially launched for mobile devices in 2016. The game surpassed a billion global downloads by early 2019 and grossed more than $6 billion in revenue by 2020. Recently, Niantic also announced a new game called Peridot, with many describing it as a cross between Tamagotchi and Neopets. Players will take care of a virtual pet, engaging in daily tasks and quests.
