New interview with Pokémon Go director reveals why they think fans shouldn't worry about Scopely
Widening the scope
- After Pokémon Go dev Niantic was acquired by Scopely, fans have been somewhat worried
- Concerns about data privacy, intrusive ads and more have all been touted
- Fortunately, a new interview by product director Michael Steranka sees to put these at rest
After the acquisition of Pokémon Go developer Niantic last week by Scopely, the folks behind Monopoly Go, we've seen quite an outpouring of worry from fans; about everything from increased ads to personal data. Fortunately for those who are freaked out a new interview over on Polygon with Michael Steranka, one of the product directors on Pokémon Go hopes to set people at ease.
In the interview, Steranka extols the virtues of Scopely and explains that he feels that both Niantic and the Monopoly Go developer are on the same page. He also explained that he felt it was almost certain Scopely would never introduce intrusive ads into Pokémon Go.
Perhaps most importantly for privacy-sensitive players, Steranka also stated bluntly that Niantic would never pass on or sell player data to third parties. He finished up the interview by reiterating that the transition to working under Scopely would change very little about the team at Niantic if anything.
While it's not hard to imagine a little bit of corporatising here, at the same time I personally doubt Scopely is going to take a heavy hand in how Pokémon Go is operated. For all intents and purposes, it was, and remains, quite successful and if anything the bigger thing business-wise is going to be Niantic's new spin-off team specifically developing further uses for AR.
In particular, Steranka also emphasised that when it comes to Pokémon Go the Pokémon Company itself is intertwined closely with the decision-making process. Meaning that anything they wouldn't do would theoretically be off the table now or in the future.
So, if you're feeling a bit more confident about jumping back into Pokémon Go now, be sure to check out our list of promo codes for some frequently updated free boosts we've collated.
