A Pokémon GO level cap was raised from 40 to 50 in December, which kickstarted a race among dedicated players to see who could achieve the world first level cap in the new era of developer Niantic's popular mobile title.
While Pokémon GO has needed to adapt to the circumstances of the past year, the title did so successfully, recording record engagement and profits in 2020 despite the challenges Niantic faced. Pokémon GO has remained popular thanks to its steady stream of content updates, new Pokémon, and refined features, allowing the game to adapt to a more indoor presence and continue to provide the same level of entertainment that's kept players invested for years now.
Now, Pokémon GO has crowned its first level 50 trainer in the world, and it's FleeceKing, an Australian player who streamed their accomplishment as it happened and then documented the success on Twitter. World first achievements are immensely difficult to pull off in any game, but in one as popular as Pokémon GO, it's especially hard given the number of competitors. In fact, 12 minutes after FleeceKing's tweet, another player named Lauren Bertoni laid claim to level 50 in Pokémon GO as well, illustrating just how tight the margins can be in pulling off this kind of accomplishment.
For those unfamiliar with the process of the Pokémon GO leveling process from 40 to 50, players are required to complete tasks while still gaining EXP. Those tasks get more difficult and time-consuming with each level, with the leap from level 49 to level 50 requiring an absurd number of Excellent throws, Legendary catches, and strict requirements on Team Rocket GO battles. It's an incredible achievement from both players, and FleeceKing especially will be ed as the world first Pokémon GO level 50 trainer as part of the game's rich history.
It's pretty obvious that the grind from level 40 to level 50 in Pokémon GO worked as intended by Niantic, as players had to commit plenty of time and resources to get within striking distance of the world first level 50 trainer accolade. Now that players will begin to hit level 50 with a bit more regularity in the coming weeks and months, what's next for Pokémon GO in 2021 is an interesting proposition - it took Niantic over four years to increase the game's level cap the first time, so it's unlikely to go back to that kind of implementation soon. If that's the case, what's next to keep players invested now that the world first Pokémon GO level 50 trainer race is over will be an important factor in how the rest of the year progresses for the game.
Source: FleeceKing, Lauren Bertoni
