yea I have always seen it as a casual game . its a free to play mobile game based on a popular kids cartoon with very very limited game mechanics and almost no actual game play aside from swiping your finger across a screen and trying to curveexcellent throw . The only way Niantic make any money is from micro transactions . For that business model to work you need as many players as possible . It makes sense that the game should be as simple and easy to understand as possible to make it more accessible . It is often suggested that Niantic should incorporate mechanics from the old games . If people like the old games and their mechanics so much why not just play the old games ? If you expect something to be more than it is your going to be disappointed .