Pokémon Go trainers weren’t impressed by this year’s Ultra Unlock events, with multiple players feeling let down by the content on offer after Go Fest 2024: Global concluded.
In previous seasons, Ultra Unlocks released a new region or features and Pokémon to excite players. However, this year’s Ultra Unlock only gave us a handful of new Pokémon and a single new shiny—far from the fanfare of previous years.
The backlash was so vocal that when we got the chance to sit down with Pokémon Go’s director, Michael Steranka, at the 2024 Pokémon World Championships on Aug. 17, we asked him precisely what Niantic plans to do to make Ultra Unlocks exciting again next year.
When we asked Steranka about the overwhelming negative feedback to Ultra Unlock events this year, especially compared to previous years, he admitted the feedback was something he and the team were “taking into consideration.”
“I think the reality here is, over the years, all of our regular events have become more and more exciting or generous, right? It used to be you’d have a two times Stardust event, and that was like a big deal for players, and now it’s normal you have a four times event.” Steranka told Dot Esports. “So, you know, as with any product that’s been out in the market for over eight years, I think player expectations increase over time, and it’s on us to make sure that we can rise to those expectations.”
Steranka went on to say that “if the Ultra Unlock this year was an area that we fell short in,” then he wanted the team to “look at feedback, [as] it’s going to inform how we approach [Ultra Unlocks] next year.”
For now, we need to wait until 2025 to see if the team gives Ultra Unlocks the big fanfare they deserve, or if it’ll be more of the same.
