Niantic expects 2024 to be a “breakthrough year’ for Pokemon Go’s AR and AI features

Pokemon Go’s creator Niantic has announced a huge update for 2024 that will use AI to improve the AR visuals of the game to make the Pokemon more reactive to the world around them.

Pokemon Go will merge AI and AR technology in 2024, in what is promised to be a “breakthrough year” by the game’s creator. The intention is for the Pokemon to appear more realistically in the real world. This would make it so they can respond to real environmental elements.

Most people who play Pokemon Go will use the map to encounter Pokemon, as it’s the easiest and quickest method available. Pokemon Go has AR options that allow Pokemon to appear in the real world, depending on the hardware the game is running on.

Unfortunately, there are limits to what AR technology can do in Pokemon Go. The Pokemon never feel as if they’re reacting to the elements of your real world. For most people, the most useful aspect of AR in Pokemon Go is the snapshot feature, where photos can be taken of Pokemon in the real world. However, these visuals also have limitations to what they can accomplish.

Niantic

Pokemon Go will introduce AI & AR integration in a planned 2024 update

Big changes are coming to the AR functionality in Pokemon Go, as revealed by creator John Hanke in an interview with the BBC. Hanke predicts that 2024 will be a “breakthrough year” for Pokemon Go, partly due to how the game will integrate AR with burgeoning AI technology.

According to Hanke, this new technology will allow Pokemon to be “situated in the environment and respond to things in the environment in a realistic way.” It’s unclear when players will see this feature in action, as no word was given regarding a release date for this update other than it being planned for 2024.

The ability to see Pokemon appearing naturally in the real world would be a huge boon for Pokemon Go, as the whole appeal of the game is that it feels like going on a Pokemon adventure. Seeing Pokemon hanging out using AR would make the game a lot more impressive.

However, many Pokemon Go players are unhappy with recent developments in the game, ranging from pricing, lackluster rewards, glitchy updates, and poor implementation of the new Party Play feature. The visuals are rarely complained about, and if Niantic wants Pokemon Go to have a big 2024, then it’s the core gameplay and pricing issues that need looking at, not the AR technology.