Pokémon Go Version 1?

As I've previously discussed in a post of its own, Pokémon Go is by now three years old. Over that time, it has expanded from a rudimentary game to one that is feature-filled (and soon continues to be, but this needs its own post and discussion). As the game changed, so has its version number... and yet, there is a strange thing about it. The latest version available for and installed on my phone, at least, is 0.147.1, and thus as it stands, the game is still "version 0", only that it has been revised at least 147 times, as the middle number indicates. This does lead to a curiosity: will the game ever reach version 1?

Most apps and games on smartphones today have typical version numbering that increments majorly with big new updates and minorly with small ones. But that doesn't seem to be the case for Pokémon Go; whether big or small, its version number only seems to increment minorly, as the middle number. And yet, with the largest updates, it seems like the game should have incremented to at least version 1 or beyond. That didn't happen, and instead the version number is the number as above, which is weird in a way, and hence the above curiosity applies.

As curious as it is, this may be explained in a way. In software development, there's something called "perpetual beta", wherein software (which may include games as such) are kept in the beta stage for a long time. This may be because the software continues to have new features with little or no testing, or it is constantly updated for greater use. Pokémon Go seems to fulfill both of these; new features often come just as they are, even if they have a gradual rollout like the camera, and things like raids, Research Tasks, and other overworld elements change from day to day, if not after just a bit of time. The pace of development seems to demand this, being modern and quick.

I initially thought that the reason why the game had not become version 1 was because it lacked the Trainer battle (PvP) feature, something that becomes key to Pokémon Go as a distant relative of the main series games. But even after its introduction, the game is still apt at maintaining "version 0.xxx" rather than going up to version 1. Based on what I've experienced, even PvP battles are sometimes experimental, and this seems to recall the "perpetual beta" nature of the game as above.

That said, the game may not need to be at version 1 after all. Things in the game keep changing, sometimes even rather quickly and including new perks (sometimes bugs) as part of that. Therefore, the hope for a "version 1" may be out of reach, at least any time soon. Yet there really is nothing wrong if the game can really be aimed to have a "version 1", and that's a goal worth pursuing even with the development of the game as it is. Players like me can only wonder just exactly when that will happen.

One year ago: Daily Tasks
Two years ago: Flying Quirks of Charizard