It’s officially eight years since “Pokémon GO to the polls”

Today marks a significant milestone for Pokémon GO: exactly eight years ago, during her campaign rally, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton introduced the term “Pokémon GO to the polls.”

Although Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 Presidential Election, her memorable quip has left an indelible mark on the internet.

In the past eight years, Pokémon GO has undergone significant transformations. Here are some major developments in the game.

What has changed since Pokémon GO to the polls?

Approximately a week after Pokémon GO was initially launched in 2016, there was a call for players to go to the polls. This event took place once the game had gained immense popularity, reaching a peak of approximately 232 million active users at its height.

Currently, with millions still engaged, the game is barely comparable to its form eight years back at launch. Initially, only the initial 151 Pokémon from Kanto were present. Even more astonishingly, Shiny Pokémon did not exist within the game at that time.

It’s possible that if Hillary Clinton had focused her campaign on faster releasing of shiny Pokémon during her election, she could have drawn a large number of dedicated Pokémon GO players to the polling stations instead.

In the game, there weren’t any Mega Pokémon present. It’s challenging to picture the game without Mega Pokémon now, given their significant impact on gameplay mechanics. The initial release of Mega Pokémon didn’t occur until August 2020.

As a dedicated Pokémon GO gamer, I can tell you that when someone said “Let’s take Pokémon GO to the polls,” raids weren’t part of the game yet. It wasn’t until 2017, a whole year later, that Niantic introduced these exciting cooperative experiences for trainers like myself.

Pokémon GO continues to thrive

Eight years on, Pokémon GO’s success remains astonishing. Massive crowds attend Pokémon GO Fest events, and its playerbase is vast and global. Cities big and small organize meetups, while the game consistently introduces fresh and captivating features.

It’s unclear if Hillary Clinton, who wrote “Pokémon GO and Vote,” actually played Pokémon GO herself.