"30 Questions with Kento Suga, Pokémon GO Global Marketing Lead"

#PokemonGO: https://ift.tt/33Zj1sC came across this interview posted online yesterday and didn't find it already posted here so I thought the Silph Road community might find some of the answers of interest. The interview took place around June/July, using questions gathered from social media, so a few of them have already been answered like being able to view IVs. I'm not a professional translator but hopefully it's better than machine translated. KS is Kento Suga. A dash is the interviewers comment. Anything in square brackets are my comments.Q1. Is the appearance rate of shinies fair for everyone?KS. There are no advantages given to specific players.- I've never really doubted this and thought it fair. But for example, at an event if someone were to catch 2 Ekans and 2 Koffing, you'd feel it had been adjusted for them.KS. It might appear to lean one way for some players but please just think of that as a natural phenomenon...Q2. Does the appearance rate of shinies change depending on the Trainer level or Trainer name?KS. As I said before, there are no advantages given to players.- As I thought. Like there are lucky and unlucky people in the world, I'm sure there are people who catch many shinies and some who catch none.KS. That's right. I got loads of Beldum but 0 Slakoth...- I see. I'm sure people who have many shinies are the people who've caught over like 200,000 pokemon.Q3. How will you implement shinies regarding regional exclusives?KS. I wonder where this person lives. When it's discovered it will appear in the game. [I assume he means in a lore kind of sense]- If this is implemented just how rare will these Pokemon be (They're implementing it in September)Q4. If you continously trade with one person, does the probability that a Pokemon will be Lucky decrease?KS. I can't divulge details but there are no advantages given to specific players.- I have doubts about this. I've traded over 8000 Pokemon, 90% of those with people in my company. I've felt that recently the probabilty that Luckys appear has reduced.KS. Perhaps, when you started trading Pokemon and they were becoming Lucky, there were a lot of older ones mixed in?- I don't really remember...KS. Pokemon that you've left longer in your box are more likely to become Lucky. Aside from that, there are no advantages or disadvantages to anyone.Q5. Is the probablity of becoming a Lucky Friend the same for everyone if you're a Best Friend?KS. Again, there are no advantages given to specific users.Q6. If you become Lucky Friends with someone and leave it in that state, does the probability of you becoming Lucky Friends with other people lower?KS. Same answer as before.Q7. Do you have any plans to increase the Special Trade from once per day?KS. I don't know about the future but as of now there are no plans.- I'd really like it if you did increase it. Me and a co-worder became Lucky Friends with someone who lived far from us. When that person came to Tokyo, one of us did a Lucky Trade and the other was a normal trade which isn't a great memory. If you'd just increase it...KS. We at Niantic want Pokemon Go to bring about new meetings and experiences. In your case I'd love for you to have met up together again.- I see...KS. At GO FEST there are trainers that gather together from all over the world, so at the event you can trade up to 5 times. There are lots of people you will only meet on this day so I'd like for that to spark up a conversation [to special trade]- HmmKS. Always having it increased whilst considering the game balance is difficult, we're always looking for the best options.Q8. Will trading with people over a large distance ever be implemented?KS. Considering the game balance this is also quite difficult. We do want Pokemon Go to be an in-person experience...Q9. Will a messaging system ever be implemented?KS. Currently there are no plans.- I think in popular social games there's always a moment that changes it for the better. For example, a paid game become free, or a Stamina based system removing the stamina. I believe implementing a messaging system in Pokemon Go would be that change.KS. But, no matter what options they have players will find a way to communite, and that makes me happy.Q10. Will the limit on gifts ever raise above 10?KS. The way gifts are used is beyond our expectations. In the future there might be a gift event. (After this interview, there was a gift event)Q11. Will the limit on opening gifts ever raise above 20?KS. As I said before, we are aware of the many requests from players regarding gifts. We are working on improving the gift feature.Q12. Will there ever be a feature where I can save gifts in a collection?KS. Gifts you've picked up on holiday, gifts you've received from close friends, and such. Gifts are the personification of the Social and Location Based Pokemon Go so we are developing improvements to it.Q13. Will there be any updates to gyms?KS. Not just gyms but many other features are being improved.Q14. Are there plans to increase the limit on coins you can receive from gyms?KS. Not at the moment.Q15. Are there plans to update/renew/refresh gyms that host EX raids?KS. We are always adding sponsored stops so in that way they are. In Japan, [the drug store] Matsumoyo Kiyoshi has been added. (After this CHARGE SPOT was also added). I'd like for there to be more sponsored stops, I'm waiting for your inquiry!Q16. Raid battles and the like. Are there any plans for updates to PVP?KS. Battling is a core component of Pokemon so we always want to develop it in a way that's unique for Pokemon Go. One thing I can say is that the members of the team working on the battle system are very big fans of the battle system in the main games.Q17. If I'm sent a battle invite, even if I don't have the app open can you have it still send a notification?KS. That's a nice idea!Q18. Do you have plans to add more motion to Go Snapshot?KS. Go Snapshot is a feature that players have exceeded our expectations in using. We're always considering how to get the Pokemon closer, how to get more intimate with them.Q19. Do you plan to add a selfie mode to Go Snapshot?KS. That would be nice to have... is a conversation we are having.Q20. When using the Pokemon Go Plus, can you add the ability to be able to use Great and Ultra balls?KS. There are no plans to implement that.Q21. Do you have plans to increase the level cap?KS. I am unable to answer that.Q22. Why do you rarely increase the limit on the Box? Are there plans to increase it again?KS. We're careful with increasing the box whilst considering the game balance. (After the interview the limit was increased to 2500)Q23. When there are problems on Community Days, why is there no notification within the app?KS. We're trying our best!Q24. Do you plan to implement a feature so we can see values for the IVs?KS. We're considering it. (After the interview, it was implemented)Q25. Do you plan to add more face, hair, and body options to the avatar?KS. What would you like?Q26. When will you add the Pokemon from Gen 5/Unova?KS. That's a secret! (After the interview, it has been announced they'll be added soon)Q27. Do you have plans to add Mega Evolutions?KS. That's also a secret!!Q28. Will you announce the latter half of this year's Community Days in advance?KS. We will announce them as we have done before (Dates up to December have been announced)Q29. What do you think of the regional disparity in the game? [In regards to big cities and rural areas]KS. We are having discussions in house about this. It's quite a difficult problem to solve.- People like me who regularly play in the city are quite shocked when they go further afield. I feel sorry for the people living out there. [Seriously, the amount of stops and gyms in Tokyo is crazy]KS. We can't just add random PokeStops in places where there is nothing. We're really racking our brains about this...- Regarding PokeStops, in some countries PokeStop submissions is active isn't it. When will it come to Japan?KS. As soon as possible... is what I want to stay but as of now I can't answer that. But I'm sure there are still plenty more things [PokeStops] you'd like to see one more time.- Yeah, there are lots of stops which cause me to double take.KS. Even though it's not listed in the guide books, there's actually a story to it... is a great feeling isn't it. Thanks to the Gift feature you can see PokeStops from places you've never set foot in. I'm glad that visiting PokeStops becomes a reason for people to step out into the world, but we're well aware that the regional disparity is a problem.- If that's the case, wouldn't Sponsored PokeStops be quite effective?KS. I think that's one way, yes.- Changing the topic a little, one of Pokemon Go's great points is that you can play without spending too much on the game. Are Sponsors a large contribution to this?KS. Sponsored Gyms are a win-win for the sponsor, players, and Niantic. We don't want a game that depends on players to spend a lot of money.Q30. How can I get a job at Niantic?KS. We work globally as a team so you'd need good English skills. Also, more than knowing about how to make games, you need good understanding on how to get people connected to one another, and out of their house and into the world. That's our mission at Niantic.- Are you open for applicants?KS. Yes, you can apply on our homepage. Oh, and you'll go on a lot of business trips so it's a great job for people who like to travel. via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/340eSEF