Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Adventures Abound, galar, pokemon

Why Did Niantic Skip Over Galar In Pokémon GO?

Is there an in-game reason that Niantic skipped over Galar in favor of Paldea in Pokémon GO? Could it have to do with Mega Raids?

Published Thu, 21 Dec 2023 10:12:08 -0600

by Theo Dwyer

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Article Summary

Niantic bypassed Galar for Paldea Pokémon in Pokémon GO without in-game explanation.
Early Galar Pokémon release in 2021 was part of an Ultra Unlock event.
Gigantamax release delay possibly due to ongoing Mega Raids introduction.
Shift observed from full region drops to gradual Pokémon introductions.

Up until now, Niantic has mostly released the generations of Pokémon in Pokémon GO in order of their original release. However, September 2023 saw Niantic completely pass over the Galar region and move on to Scarlet & Violet's Paldea region. Why? Let's take a look at the situation.

Zacian & Zamazenta in Pokémon GO. Credit: Niantic — Zacian & Zamazenta in *Pokémon GO*. Credit: Niantic

First, there is an interesting thing to note about Niantic's history of releases. There was a small batch of Galar Pokémon released in 2021 as part of the Ultra Unlock 2021 events. These events were themed to Time and Space, and part of the storyline was how Hoopaw as warping time and space with its rings. The early arrival of a few Galar species was meant to be an anomaly.

This Paldean release is different. There was no storyline about any changes to time and space, nor any references at all to the passing over of Galar. It just happened.

There are many reasons this may have happened. Here are a few to consider:

Mega Raids vs. Gigantamax mechanic: The introduction of Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanic will likely bring a huge change to Pokémon GO. It will almost certainly impact raiding and is expected to, when it does arrive, bring a new kind of raid, much like Mega Raids did. Niantic is still rolling out Mega Raids, however, with many of the most important species yet to come. I think it's safe to assume that Niantic is pushing off Galar in order to finish up the release of Mega Raids, with a Gigantamax and Dynamax mechanic planned for a later release.
Spreading out generational releases: We have already seen Niantic switch from a full region drop to trickling out species the same way they used to trickle out Shinies. I can see the same happening for full regions and generations beyond just Pokémon releases. I would bet that, even though we are in the middle of the Paldea release, that we won't see Terastallization for quite a while. Certainly not during this wave.
Boosting the popularity of Scarlet & Violet: The main series games and Pokémon GO both benefit from each other. There are many species that GO-only players don't know until they are introduced into GO, so it makes sense that if the main series games are marketing products around all these new Paldean Pokémon, they will likely want Niantic to focus on those. In fact, I predict this being the new normal. Here are my thoughts on the future of main series releases coinciding with Pokémon GO releases:
- Fall 2024: Pokémon GO switches to a Galar-focused wave of releases.
- Fall 2025: The next generation of Pokémon debut in the main series games, with Pokémon GO doing a partial release of this new region along with the release of the game, for the first time.
- Fall 2026: Pokémon GO goes back to a generation they hadn't completed releasing.