Last Update was half a year ago. Showdown has already been updated but I don't see any activity or announcement regarding the same on PO. Is it possible that devs are going to skip and directly go to gen 8?
Unfortunately yeah the answer is no. Pokémon Online has only like 1 dev now and that person isn't hardly active. Plus this place does not even get 100 player's. We're down to like 60-70 max now. No point in updating a dead server.
Whilst this is not an official stance - I might be an administrator, but I am not a developer - development has largely stalled, and I've pretty much given up hope on it being updated. I can't see it being updated with USUM mechanics, nevermind with Let's Go, and I very much doubt we'll see Gen 8.
Sad to hear that. I remember we used have upward of 800 players regularly. Other servers like Pokemon Battle Station had 1000 easily. Great times they were. I made so many friends there as a kid. Being an adult now, I understand people do get busy in their own lives. You have to work, pay bills, social life and many more. I do not blame developers, or contributors at all. It was clear when Showdown came that we are behind in the terms of features. Web is the future. I presume the server will shut down in few months, won't it?
Showdown was superior the moment the PO replay viewer existed, because our development has almost always been slow, with the sole exception being when Gen 5 was initially added. Life gets in the way! I honestly don't know the answer to the question on the server shutting down. I imagine it will just keep going until the host decides to stop running it, or until literally no one uses it.
It's hard to build for multiple platforms at once. PO still uses older versions of QT. Targetting all major four OS, plus web is inefficient. Showdown had to target web only. Newer generation of developers has focused on web because cloud is the future afterall. Moreover user convenience plays a role as well. HTML5 made web apps fast and powerful. A simple 'Play Now' button is more attractive than a long, tedious installation process. Animations and multiple teams were a step in the right direction. I still prefer simple and accessible design of PO. Teambuilder is far superior than what showdown has to offer. Everything is more streamlined and uncluttered. ----