Summary
With Niantic’s reliance on Team GO Rocket as its antagonists,Pokemon GOhas inadvertently landed the ideal opportunity to introduce the Aether Foundation, not only as a tie-in with its integration of Gen 6 like its Zygarde event but also to offer players a different experience. After a recent spate of events and updates centered aroundPokemon GO’sfaction of the villainous team, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the fatigue amongplayers annoyed at Team GO Rocketand their repetitive use. Even accepting thatPokemon GO’s mobile format has limits, Niantic is missing the obvious answer to its team problem.
Pokemon GOhas so far only included Team GO Rocket as far as the mainline series is concerned. Beyond rumors thatGen 3’s villain teams are coming toPokemon GO, Niantic should strive to make its gameplay more than one-dimensional with players versus grunts. In particular, it would be smart forPokemon GOto introduce a positive counterpart to Team GO Rocket for a more authentic trainer experience. Without undoing the development into Team GO Rocket so far, Niantic could add the Aether Foundation to let players help Pokemon instead of just completing Research Tasks and busting GO Rocket leaders.
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Pokemon GO Needs More Than Just Team GO Rocket
DuringPokemon GO’searliest days, any change or addition to the game was revolutionary as Niantic made tentative steps to translate thePokemonexperience into an app. From the natural starting point of Gen 1, it was arguably inevitable that Niantic would eventually introducePokemon’smost infamous villain team under the Team GO Rocket banner. As Niantic developedPokemon GOeven further, Team GO Rocket kept pace with its own all-new leaders, the reprisal ofXD: Gale of Darkness’Shadow Pokemon mechanics, and even encounters with the anime’s own Jessie and James, as well as the head of Team Rocket, Giovanni.
However, between now and its launch back in 2016,Pokemon GOhasn’t really offered any kind of alternative villains beyond Team GO Rocket. The lack of any other villain team inPokemon GOis compounded by the fact that Niantic has stretched itself across multiple generations at this point, all while it continues to ignore the various teams it could and should have added. The consequence of this has stalledPokemon GO’snarrative growth. Team GO Rocket has become stale and unimaginative for players while Niantic bloats the game with related features, such asthe new Rocket-centric Shadow Raids, Shadow Shards, and Purified Gems.
The Aether Foundation Would Be Perfect for Pokemon GO
At this point, it’s clear thatPokemon GOneeds to offer something significantly different to the formulaic rut it’s lapsed into. But instead of replacing Team GO Rocket with other villain teams as rumored, Niantic should consider adding a group that goes in a brand-new direction. As a spin on the series' villain staple, the Aether Foundation debuted alongside Team Skull as an opposing force for good, with their aim being to help heal and protect Pokemon. Not only would this counter Team GO Rocket’s evil-doing, but the Aether Foundation is already confirmed to exist thanks toPokemon GO’sUltra Beasts, Ultra Space wormholes, and Rhi.
Bringing the Aether Foundation toPokemon GOas a “team” players can encounter instead of just Team GO Rocket could be enough to diversify its gameplay loop. Foundation employees could still provide classic battles under the guise of testing player-Pokemon friendships or trainers' skill levels, but they could offer new tasks such as adaptingPokemon GO’s Buddy mechanicsto catch and heal injured Pokemon in the overworld or using the game’s new routes to send players on local patrols. Ultimately though, if Niantic insists on expandingPokemon GO’santagonists, then the Aether Foundation could help balance the game’s formula.
Pokemon GOis available now for Android and iOS devices.
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