To arrest the decline in interest in Pokémon Go, Niantic should: 1) Enhance the gaming experience by customizing it based on users' habits, fitness levels, and preferences for trading or limited movement. 2) Partner with Google to make Maps and Calendar more integrated with Pokémon Go to remind users. 3) Discourage cheaters by degrading their level or giving temporary bans instead of permanent bans, and reward loyal users.

1. What steps wouldyou take to arrest the decline inconsumer interestinthe
Pokémon Go?
To arrest the decline of customer interest, Niantic not only needs to up its game against cheaters
but also needs to stop the fatigue setting in amongst its loyal users. Research says that Pokemon
Go users spend an average 26 mins a day in the app. With increased penetration of mobile
phones, this can be improved by offering enhanced experience using the app with additional
features.
 Like capturing the gamer’s habits and likes/dislikes and accordingly customizing gaming
experience.
 Attracting fitness freaks with predetermined target of daily steps and customize the game
accordingly. Reward the gamers for covering their fitness milestones.
 For a trade enthusiast, bring the Pokemon exchange with trade and bidding features, like
catching a Pokemon should not only mean finding a character but alsotrading of the same
with Pokemon money. This would be an exciting experience, where Pokemon’s prices
may vary based on level/ demands for the character.
 For kids and gamers who does not want to walk much, provide a customized Pokemon
game which helps him to catch Pokemon in a relative smaller user selected space only.
 Niantic can enter into partnership with Google and customize Google Maps for gamers,
making the Google maps more interactive and funny by having Pokemon characters
installed in Google Maps app, helping users navigate, which in-turn reminds the gamer of
the brand again and again.
 Synchronize Google’s calendar with Pokeman Go app could make the game part of every
important aspect of gamer’s life. Reading the special dates from calendar and Pokemon
characters reminding users of the special dates and let them share Pokemon gifts with
friends will make the game more interesting.
Few of these steps would go a long way in arresting the fatigue setting in with the game, as well
as tempting more players to onboard and play the challenge with their friends.

2. What measures would you put in place to discourage the cheaters?
Niantic has tried a lot to keep the cheaters away and by soft-banning the cheaters, during the
process Niantic has also exposed its weakness that it does not want to turn away its customers.
Rather than making hard ban on cheaters, Niantic should plan to discourage the cheaters by
degrading them 5-10 levels down or making them stay at lower levels for a longer span, which
will demotivate them strongly against cheating in future.
Niantic should also carefully monitor if such acts are repeated by the same users, a temporary
ban on playing the game on that particular IME number could help against such attempts. Fake
GPS locations are used by changing the GPS settings which when done could trigger a close
scrutiny and disable the app temporarily when suspicious progress is achieved.
Niantic should also incentivize its loyal gamers by identifying the user who have never hacked
the system by rewarding them more points as a loyalty rewarding system which can be made
time based feature.
Hard ban will deter the customers to turn away, while a softer ban with reward systemand
loyalty programs would incentivize the gamers as well as discourage the users against cheating.

3. What would you do to leverage PokémonGo’s potential tobecome a 20-year
franchise?
Segment Expansion
Pokemon Go is currently a rage in adult and teenage segment but facing the declining gamers
interest challenge. To make this brand survive the test of time and make it a franchise, Niantic
needs to make this a household name across segments.
Pokemon needs to alter its mass appeal, like rather than solely focusing on gaming, it should also
showcasethe health benefit and learning potentials involved in the game, and bring this message
out to masses.
To cater this, Niantic needs to broaden the market reach across age groups by bringing some
innovative ideas like roping in kids and senior age segments.
Eg- Introducing Pokémon-Go Junior and Pokémon-Go Senior versions of the game.
Target Segment Expansion map of Pokemon Go
The game’s junior segment should appeal to kids and parents like catching Pokémon kids or
Disney characters. Playing within the housing premises will make the game safer, where by
making the kids answer the scientific quizzes to pass the levels will help grab parent’s acceptance
to the game. The Pokemon toys can be offered to kids in shopping malls to reach big.

4. Pokemon can also appeal to senior age groups by bringing in health benefits where the user not
only intends to catch the characters but also complete few health milestones challenging his
friends group.
Also Pokemon can introduce Virtual reality in the game, like after winning a certain milestone,
VR enabled levels shall be included to reward the gamer, which in turn enhances the gaming
experience along with increasing game loyalty.