Niantic’s newly-launched Pokemon Go India Twitter handle could be a hint at its growing focus in the country

• Niantic recently launched Pokemon Go India’s handle on Twitter.
• It could be a hint at American developer’s growing focus in the country.
• Pokemon Go players are expecting more Pokestops and Gyms from the developer.

Niantic has recently launched the Pokemon Go handle on Twitter for its Indian community. The American developer says it is looking to build and expand Pokemon Go's presence in the country. This looks like a small step to gather the Indian Pokemon Go trainer community at one place, and could also mean they may have further localisation plans in the future.

In a tweet on August 13, the company announced the launch of its India page and it drew interesting responses from the users.

The launch is exciting for Pokemon Go trainers in India as it brings a possibility of local events, activities being organised. Pokemon Go is a community-driven platform and the craze in India has been evident in the past. The Twitter page is a much-needed platform for the players to interact with each other, and with Niantic’s support dedicated to India.

In response to the announcement tweet, some users asked the developers to add more “Pokestops” and “Gym” to the maps. The “Pokestops” and “Gym” allow users to hunt for more Pokemon and obtain Poké Balls, Potions, Eggs and other items.

The “Pokestops” and “Gym” are only visible to trainers in the radius of 1-1.5km and users can only interact with them and obtain the items within the range of 80m, which was recently reduced to 40m in some countries.

Here’s how Pokemon Go players from India reacted to the Twitter handle announcement-



As per India Today, India ranks third among countries with most Pokemon Go downloads, but it also says users are reluctant to pay for in-app purchases. It adds that Pokemon Go has remained relevant during the pandemic and made over $5 billion in revenue in the five years since its launch in July 2016.

To keep its users engaged during the pandemic, Pokemon Go made some tweaks to keep up with social distancing demands. These included increasing the distance of interacting with “Pokestops” and dropping gifts at higher frequency. It also gave massive discounts on incense packs and improved the effectiveness of incubators to hatch eggs faster.

In July, Niantic organised a two-day Pokemon Go Fest allowing gamers in India to buy tickets at a special anniversary price of ₹399. The participants could win rewards and catch some exclusive Pokemon during the event.

Niantic’s focus on India could include more localised updates and in-app purchases that are relevant and can keep local players interested. Since the popularity of the game is huge in India, the developer would look to revive Pokemon Go’s initial days of glory in India soon.

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