Shade, stagnation, surprises: The big Pokémon Go Fest interview

We are nine years into Pokémon Go and heading towards the 2025 iteration of Pokémon Go Fest: Global, which lets anyone around the world take part in a Go Fest without the need to attend an in-person event. Go Fests are unique, one-month-a-year events, and if you've never been to an in-person one before, I implore you to do so when time allows. But for a lot of people who attend them yearly, there are certain elements and issues that creep up all the time that don't seem to be resolved, even if the event can be very fun to take part in. So when we spoke to members of the Pokémon Go team at Go Fest: Paris on June 13, we had a lot of questions to ask about the choices and direction of Go Fest, especially heading into the 10-year anniversary of the game in 2026. The risk of Go Fest stagnation Photo by Destructoid. Go Fests have become standard over the years; everyone knows what they'll be about. We always get a new mythical Pokémon, the event focuses on a new mechanic of some kind, and there are a handful of new Shiny Pokémon across multiple habitats. The formula is locked in, and Scopely is aware how this stagnation could bore fans over time if it doesn't start offering anything new. Michael Steranka, Pokémon Go's director, explained how Scopely has a team of game designers focused only on in-person events such as Go Fest and Go Tour that work on creating "authentic experiences to the places that we go to." "Having a team that's fully focused on this, it allows you to spitball and come up with fun ideas and concepts that you can build off of from each other," Steranka told Destructoid. "Or if you have a great idea, but it's not a great fit for Go Tour. Maybe it's a great fit for Go Fest, and they can share those concepts." With it, Scopely appears to want to keep adding things to surprise fans, especially when it comes to features in-game. Steranka also said how player feedback played a big part in how the team went about Go Fest, as the team wants to take that feedback into account when designing next year's experiences. The shade problem No Shade. Photo by Destructoid. On the topic of improving events, the biggest complaint of the in-person events the past few years at the in-person venues has been the lack of shade, something painfully obvious for those attending Go Fest Paris this year. It's a tricky balancing act, one Steranka said the team was well aware of and something that can be hard to accommodate at the in-person events, no matter where in the world the event takes place. But also that there were reasons the team had to focus on open parks, reasons you might not even think about. "If we go to a park that's heavily shaded with lots of trees, that actually can get in the way of cellular connectivity," Steranka told Destructoid. "And so if you go somewhere that's fully covered, then that could negatively impact your ability to connect to the game." The Scopely team, according to Steranka, is also at the mercy of the venues themselves and what they can offer. He says the team tries "not to pick anywhere that has no shade," but also to make sure the park is a "beautiful destination" that offers fun opportunities for trainers. Making things feel like a surprise for next year's anniversary Photo by Destructoid. When asked whether he felt that Pokémon Go Fest seemed to be stagnating and if there was anything he felt needed to be changed in the future to keep it fresh for returning trainers, Steranka agreed that something needed to be done, with the 10th anniversary coming up. "I do actually," Steranka told Destructoid. "Next year is our big 10-year anniversary for Pokémon Go, and Go Fest is always a summer experience, so it does line up quite nicely with our 10-year anniversary. It's definitely going to be a huge moment, I think, for the game." Steranka wouldn't give any specifics about the 10th anniversary plans, but did at least offer some teasing on what's to come. "I think trainers should just know that we've put a lot of thought and effort behind what we're trying to do next year, and it's not going to be one specific thing. It's going to be sort of across all facets of the game. And yeah, we definitely want to make the most of that moment, and we want 2026 to be a year that players cherish for the rest of their lives." The post Shade, stagnation, surprises: The big Pokémon Go Fest interview appeared first on Destructoid.

Jun 25, 2025 - 15:06

We are nine years into Pokémon Go and heading towards the 2025 iteration of Pokémon Go Fest: Global, which lets anyone around the world take part in a Go Fest without the need to attend an in-person event.

Go Fests are unique, one-month-a-year events, and if you've never been to an in-person one before, I implore you to do so when time allows. But for a lot of people who attend them yearly, there are certain elements and issues that creep up all the time that don't seem to be resolved, even if the event can be very fun to take part in.

So when we spoke to members of the Pokémon Go team at Go Fest: Paris on June 13, we had a lot of questions to ask about the choices and direction of Go Fest, especially heading into the 10-year anniversary of the game in 2026.

The risk of Go Fest stagnation

pokemon go fest paris entrance — Photo by Destructoid.

Go Fests have become standard over the years; everyone knows what they'll be about. We always get a new mythical Pokémon, the event focuses on a new mechanic of some kind, and there are a handful of new Shiny Pokémon across multiple habitats. The formula is locked in, and Scopely is aware how this stagnation could bore fans over time if it doesn't start offering anything new.

Michael Steranka, Pokémon Go's director, explained how Scopely has a team of game designers focused only on in-person events such as Go Fest and Go Tour that work on creating "authentic experiences to the places that we go to."

"Having a team that's fully focused on this, it allows you to spitball and come up with fun ideas and concepts that you can build off of from each other," Steranka told Destructoid. "Or if you have a great idea, but it's not a great fit for Go Tour. Maybe it's a great fit for Go Fest, and they can share those concepts."

With it, Scopely appears to want to keep adding things to surprise fans, especially when it comes to features in-game. Steranka also said how player feedback played a big part in how the team went about Go Fest, as the team wants to take that feedback into account when designing next year's experiences.

The shade problem

shade iis a problem at go fest — No Shade. Photo by Destructoid.

On the topic of improving events, the biggest complaint of the in-person events the past few years at the in-person venues has been the lack of shade, something painfully obvious for those attending Go Fest Paris this year.

It's a tricky balancing act, one Steranka said the team was well aware of and something that can be hard to accommodate at the in-person events, no matter where in the world the event takes place. But also that there were reasons the team had to focus on open parks, reasons you might not even think about.

"If we go to a park that's heavily shaded with lots of trees, that actually can get in the way of cellular connectivity," Steranka told Destructoid. "And so if you go somewhere that's fully covered, then that could negatively impact your ability to connect to the game."

The Scopely team, according to Steranka, is also at the mercy of the venues themselves and what they can offer. He says the team tries "not to pick anywhere that has no shade," but also to make sure the park is a "beautiful destination" that offers fun opportunities for trainers.

Making things feel like a surprise for next year's anniversary

pikachu in front of a paris building — Photo by Destructoid.

When asked whether he felt that Pokémon Go Fest seemed to be stagnating and if there was anything he felt needed to be changed in the future to keep it fresh for returning trainers, Steranka agreed that something needed to be done, with the 10th anniversary coming up.

"I do actually," Steranka told Destructoid. "Next year is our big 10-year anniversary for Pokémon Go, and Go Fest is always a summer experience, so it does line up quite nicely with our 10-year anniversary. It's definitely going to be a huge moment, I think, for the game."

Steranka wouldn't give any specifics about the 10th anniversary plans, but did at least offer some teasing on what's to come.

"I think trainers should just know that we've put a lot of thought and effort behind what we're trying to do next year, and it's not going to be one specific thing. It's going to be sort of across all facets of the game. And yeah, we definitely want to make the most of that moment, and we want 2026 to be a year that players cherish for the rest of their lives."

The post Shade, stagnation, surprises: The big Pokémon Go Fest interview appeared first on Destructoid.